Chemical Contamination in the Devizes Crammer Pond after Van Fire

The pond on the Crammer in Devizes town centre is clearly showing signs of oil contamination, after a Luton van caught fire yesterday, Monday March 14^th, despite a spokesman for Devizes Fire Station informing residents on their Facebook page, “some Damm-it and a boom was used to prevent contamination of the Crammer and its wildlife.”

The fire service was called to the scene on Estcourt Street at 5.20am, the fire was extinguished with one breathing apparatus wearer, one hose reel jet and a 52mm jet, and attempts were made by fire crews to protect the wildlife, but today we’ve been informed there were still visible signs of oil in the pond, and distressingly, covering the swans and ducks there, after fire crews had left.

Images sent to us via a public source looks as if the boom may have broken.

Devizine has informed councillor Jonathan Hunter, who is at a council meeting right now and intends to relay it to the council. Here’s hoping this can be checked thoroughly and cleaned if needed. We have also informed the Devizes Fire Station.

Update: we’ve been informed all councillors in the Forward Planning meeting have been notified, and The Town Clerk will be reviewing the situation as a matter of urgency.

Second UPDATE: Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital are arranging help right now, calling in swan support from Winsor.

Devizes Town Council are contacting the Environmental Agency. They are due to visit the Crammar for an inspection.

Who Visits our Crammer?

As well as resident mallards, swans, moorhen, black-faced gulls, maligned herring gulls, and of course pigeons, over a 24 hour period at this time of year a number of Canada Geese will also likely be stopping by.

The town’s oasis also has some rarer visitors on occasion, but hopefully not until this disaster is tackled.

There are five juvenile swans on the Crammer at present, and because of feeding and seasonal display activities, the chemicals won’t just be infecting their feathers, it will already be in their stomachs and lungs.

And we’ve also to consider fish, frogs, toads and newts, spawn has been noticed in the water already.