A member of the public contacted the Ross Gazette after seeing a very large amount of fish in the Rudhall Brook in Ross-on-Wye.

He said “I have never seen so many fish in this stream before and they are all different sizes, some are really large. You cannot see the bottom of the stream, the water is black with fish.”

The Gazette asked the Environment Agency if there was any cause for concern as there was such a large quantity, they said that they are monitoring the situation but currently the fish are not in any distress.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency told the Ross Gazette: “Officers have attended the site and found no signs of fish in distress.

“A large number of juvenile Chub and Shad are congregating in the flood alleviation scheme on the brook, and are swimming freely into and out of this section of the brook. This type of gathering is a natural occurrence which happens in most waterways and not giving any cause for concern. Officers will continue to monitor the situation.”

They reminded residents that if they notice any fish in distress they should contact the EA’s Incident Hotline on 0870 80 70 60.