A GOVERNMENT minister has said an investigation will be carried out after 30,000 litres of a mystery substance spilt into the River Anton – and charges could be brought if it is found that a crime was committed.

In January, residents reported seeing a noxious substance in the body of water in Andover, which caused concern for wildlife and the environment.

The Environment Agency was able to find the source of the spillage and worked with contractors to stop the release. So far, 17,000 litres of the substance have been recovered.

Andover’s MP, Kit Malthouse, raised the issue in the House of Commons on Monday, March 27, calling for reassurances that "those responsible are held to account".

Mr Malthouse was speaking during a debate into a huge oil spill at Pool Harbour, which is believed to have started at around 7am on Sunday, March 26.

Approximately 200 barrels of reservoir fluid leaked from the pipelines at Wytch Farm and into the harbour.

READ MORE: River Anton Andover: Mystery substance causes pollution of water

Mr Malthouse said: “In January, the River Anton, which flows through my constituency, saw a not dissimilar spill of 30,000 litres of oil. I commend the Environment Agency (EA) for its swift response: it tells me that it has recovered about 17,000 litres and that work is under way to recover the rest.

"Although there will be an investigation into the cause of the spill and any culpability, which may have consequences, where does accountability and transparency lie in the Environment Agency for the conduct of the investigation?

“Police and crime commissioners are accountable to police and crime panels for the work of the police, but the system for the Environment Agency is more opaque. How can my constituents have confidence that any investigation is conducted with alacrity and that culpability is apportioned appropriately?”

Minister for environmental quality and resilience Rebecca Pow said that an investigation was important for gathering “the correct information”, adding: “We also need to be careful about spreading fear about what exactly a pollutant might be”.

She continued: “That is why there must be an investigation, and why the exact make-up of a pollutant needs to be fully known. The EA will, of course, investigate if there is enough evidence to suggest that a crime has potentially been committed. Where a crime has been committed, and after the due process is followed, fines are possible.”

Speaking after the debate, Mr Malthouse told the Advertiser: “While the minister’s answer was not quite what I was hoping to hear, a conversation with her afterwards means the incident is on her radar and hence it will not be forgotten or drift. 

"I hope that the clean-up is completed swiftly, that the perpetrator is identified and that action is taken to make sure it doesn't happen again."

At the time of the incident, Jane Haggar, who lives in South Street, filmed the pollution as it was running past her garden.

She said: “It is absolutely devastating what is happening.

“The smell is absolutely horrendous, I can smell it from my house. “This morning I was watching an Egret standing in the river surrounded by a pool of oil. Everything will be getting poisoned. It is an environmental disaster.”