A PROBE has been launched after a petrol leak at a supermarket affected a nearby waterway.

Motorists were turned away from the Tesco filling station at Haslingden on Saturday after a leak into nearby Langwood Brook, which first emerged on Thursday morning.

Borough council environmental health officers in Rossendale said there appeared to be no immediate risk to wildlife from the spillage.

But a multi-agency containment operation was launched and residents were being contacted by the Environment Agency and asked to report any issues they witness.

The supermarket chain’s own remedial engineers, Arcadis, were also involved in the clean-up.

A Rossendale Council spokesman said: “We are aware that there has been an incident involving petrol leaking into Langwood Brook, Haslingden.

“A multi-agency approach is being taken on this with Lancashire County Council's petroleum officer and the Environment Agency are investigating this with Tesco.

“The council's environmental team is monitoring the situation. There are no health risks at present, though this will continue to be monitored.

“The waters are also being closely monitored, but at present there is no issue. If any residents who live nearby are concerned, please contact the Environment Agency on 0800 807060.”

A Tesco spokesman said: “We stopped the leak on Thursday morning and the fire service have advised us that there is no immediate danger to the public.The Environment Agency is now working with our engineers and other partner agencies to ensure the ground is cleaned up.

“Our store colleagues have been in touch with local residents to apologise for any smells caused by the leak and are keeping them closely updated as the clean-up progresses.”

An Environment Agency spokesman confirmed that officials were monitoring the situation over the weekend to ensure there were no after-effects from the spill.