THE public body regulating water companies and responding to environmental disasters will not reopen an investigation into the death of hundreds of fish.

The Environment Agency (EA) has been challenged by a BBC Panorama documentary covering the incident Cunsey Beck in June 2022.

Hundreds of fish were found dead in the beck that connects Esthwaite to Windermere. 

The EA's investigation officially stated the deaths were 'likely to be due to high levels of algae.'

A review of the investigation from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency as a third party determined that water pollution could not be ruled out as a cause.

BBC Panorama obtained internal documents suggesting that the EA had little idea of what happened. 

Campaign group Save Windermere argues that the agency failed to properly scrutinise United Utilities' assets in its investigation into the Cunsey Beck fish kill. 

It demanded the EA to reopen the case by Monday, December 18. 

"Time and time again, the regulator has been shown to be ineffective, and not fit for purpose. The consequence of the regulator’s failure is the collapse of ecosystems and a lack of accountability for polluters. We need justice for the fish that were killed on Cunsey Beck. The EA has two weeks to reopen this case," founder Matt Staniek said. 

The EA confirmed that it had no plans to reopen the investigation. The organisation stood by its officer's professional judgment that an algal bloom in Esthwaite Water was the most likely cause and the reason why it asked for a review of the investigation was because of the severity of the event and the fact they could not find a definitive source. 

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: "We take our responsibility to protect the environment very seriously. We will always investigate serious pollution incidents and take strong action against those that do not follow the rules or are deliberately obstructive. In June 2022 our Officers responded to reports of dead fish and water decolourisation at Cunsey Beck. Having fully reviewed the evidence, the Environment Agency officer’s professional judgement concluded an algal bloom in Esthwaite Water was the most likely cause.

“Due to the seriousness of this incident, and the fact we did not identify a definitive source, we asked SEPA to review our response to the incident.  We recognise there are things we should have done better and that is why we have made improvements to water quality monitoring in the area, including installing sensors that monitor river quality in real time.  We have also shared our learning within the Environment Agency which is now informing our approach to incident response and water company regulation."