The Big Stink

Herons and seagulls were circling the course feasting on fish carcasses yesterday, creating a scene described as "absolute carnage" by one worried family living nearby.

The Environment Agency mounted an operation last night to save as many fish as possible from the pool of water in the centre of the racecourse.

Spokeswoman Lyn Fraley said: "It's a very distressing sight. A lot of fish are dead, some are still alive and we're on our way to rescue as many as we can."

Worcester City Council, which is responsible for the land in the centre of the course, managed to rescue 300 fish yesterday and returned them to the river. It is thought to be the first time such a quantity of fish has been swept onto the racecourse during floods but the continued on page two Environment Agency said it could not give a definitive answer as to why this happened until it has carried out the rescue mission.

Worcester News angling expert Alf Hand said it is not unusual to have fish left on Pitchcroft after a flood but was surprised by how many were this time.

"It is unusual to have a flood like that in the summer and fish are more active in the summer because it is warmer and they move to get out of the main current flow," he said.

Meanwhile, Kim Weston said her family have lived in Severn Terrace for about 20 years and said they had never experienced anything like it.

Speaking before the rescue was announced, she said: "The smell is appalling.

"Something needs to be done, today. The fish are just going to die. I can't believe nobody's been down here yet. About 200 seagulls are having a feast and pecking the fishes eyes out. It's absolutely disgusting."

The fish - some of which are as long as two feet (0.6 metres) weighing up to 20 lb (9,071 grams) - were washed onto Pitchcroft in the recent floods, but as the water rapidly receeded over the weekend many were left behind in the centre of the course unable to make their way back into the River Severn.

Ms Weston's dad John, aged 61, and brother Lorne, aged 36, spent more than four hours up to two feet (0.6 metres) in water on Sunday (8) desperately ferrying fish that were still alive back to the river using nets, buckets and even coulinders.

Mum Yvonne Weston said: "There were literally hundreds. Pikes, eels, perch - you name it, there was every sort imaginable."

There have also been reports of fish left on King's School Worcester playing fields but nobody from the school was available to comment.

The city council said it was under no legal obligation to remove the fish but head of cleaner and greener Mike Harrison said they had tried their best to save as many fish as they could yesterday.

"We took people off things like grass cutting to rescue the fish."

Although the floods have caused Wednesday's (11) meeting at Worcester Racecourse to be cancelled, a spokeswoman said staff will be clearing and cleaning the track to get the ground ready for its next meeting on Wednesday, July 18.

What you say about the stink

Mike Nicholson, aged 19, of The Parklands, Droitwich, said: "It smelled like sewage. It's unpleasant. This is the first time I've ever smelt anything like it."

Will McDevitt, aged 18, of Tagwell Road, Droitwich, said: "It's like excrement. I've smelled it at the King's cricket ground because it flooded there too. It's exactly the same smell."

Phil Griffiths, aged 26, of Chawson, Droitwich, said: "It doesn't bother me but it makes my girlfriend heave a bit. I thought it had just stained the grass, I didn't realise it was rotting fish."

Steph Jones, aged 20, of Bevere, near Worcester, said: "It's worse in the afternoon when the sun's been shining on it all day. You can smell it right in the town."

Lee Smith, aged 41, of Tolladine Road, Worcester, said: "I think it's because it's so wet. It's a bit unpleasant and can't be healthy. It's a shame for the fish."