Save Wildlife in the West Midlands

We need your help to fund the recovery of wildlife in the Walsall area following the spill

Canal & River Trust has been a vital part of the swift emergency response, following the spill of toxic chemicals into our canal in Walsall. Working tirelessly around the clock with the lead agencies to secure the canal and minimise the flow of water and disruption to threatened wildlife that call the canal home. 

What has happened? 

The spillage, which includes sodium cyanide has gone into the canal in Walsall. Sodium cyanide dissolves in water and can have serious adverse health effects for those who come into direct physical contact with it. There is a potential serious risk to health and wildlife if they are exposed (direct physical contact with the water) in the affected stretch of the canal.

Image: Areas closed due to the spillage

What’s already been done?

We have installed 2 temporary dams on the downstream plume, to contain the spill - at a direct cost to the charity. We have also added new stop planks upstream to further contain the contaminated water. 

Image: Dam installation

What are the impacts to wildlife?

At this time, we’re not able to get close enough to understand the true impact of the spillage, especially on the threatened wildlife that live in the area such as otters and water voles who could be at risk. We do know that over 100 juvenile fish and dozens of big fish have sadly been killed because of the spill. This number will likely increase as we further investigate the impacts.

"Undoubtedly there will be a devastating impact on the canal and the wildlife that lives there"

Image: Threatened water vole

Water voles have recently been recorded on our waterways within Birmingham & Black Country region. The already threatened water voles might not have a resilient population left if they are impacted by this event, so we may need to reintroduce once the environment is safe again. Without natural balance, invasives and algae will quickly take over and the ecosystem could take years to fully recover.

Canal & River Trust pick up the costly pieces following hundreds of pollution incidents each year, albeit instances of this nature and on this scale are rare. The Trust will need to assess the damage that’s been caused – most notably to the fish, but of course the impact on other wildlife  - the birds and mammals - along the canal.

Your donation will directly support wildlife recovery efforts in the area in the coming months alongside our continuing clean up work 

We’d like to thank our team and partners involved in the multi-agency response for such a tremendous collective effort - the Environment Agency, Walsall and Sandwell Councils, the Police, the Fire Service and many specialist agencies providing technical advice and support.

By contributing, you will help fund wildlife recovery, alongside the clean up required in response to the toxic waste spill.

Charles Hughes
Environmental Scientist & INNS Project Manager
West Midlands Region