'The eels were climbing out of the water to die'

Furnace Brook, a secluded stream‑fed fishing lake in the High Weald owned by Diane and Alistair Gould since 2013, suffered a catastrophic pollution event on 20 June 2024 that killed more than 2,000 fish overnight. Carp, tench, bream, roach, trout and large eels were found floating or gasping on the banks; 15 trailer‑loads of carcasses were removed and buried after the Environment Agency declared a Category 1 incident. Visible signs upstream on Clippenham stream included blue‑black water, a blue‑grey scum described as “bacterial cheese,” and dead lamprey, trout and freshwater mussels; a biologist estimated ecological recovery would take 10-15 years and the Goulds estimate around £500,000 in lost income.

Local investigation traced the contamination to a tributary entering the stream from Morgans Farm, where a slurry‑type pit in Ann Wood had been apparent and later covered with waste soil and wrapped bales. The EA took samples and visited but, more than two years on, has not prosecuted. Water companies were not implicated in this case. The episode is presented as a microcosm of wider rural environmental failure: chronic river pollution, illegal dumping and weakened regulation and enforcement in England. The Goulds are now working on restoration and community‑centred management as a model response.