HOUSEHOLDERS are being urged to take care when washing out decorating tools after reports of paint in a brook.

The Environment Agency received reports on Tuesday, August 26, and Friday, August 29, of a tributary at Madresfield Brook in Malvern running white and smelling of paint thinners.

Environment officer Michael Morris said: “It is important that householders and tradesmen only wash out paint brushes into the foul sewer system, not to surface water drains.

“In much of Malvern the surface water drains go directly into local watercourses.”

Mr Morris urged people to find out where the drain goes before tipping anything into them.

Householders can take paint thinners to the chemical safe at the household waste disposal site in Newlands, which is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 6pm, and on Sundays 10am to 4pm.

Anyone seeing pollution of a watercourse can report it to the Environment Agency by calling 0800 80 70 60.