A FISHING club in Darwen is facing major obstacles during its busiest time of year following a nearby landslide.

At the beginning of the month a major landslip occurred in Sunnyhurst Woods which saw several trees and earth collapse into a stream near Earnsdale Reservoir.

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The incident temporarily cut off water supply to thousands of residents and path closures were put in place for the foreseeable future.

Members of The Dingle Community Fishing Club have also been affected and watched the water near the Dingle Lodges ‘turn to treacle’ as sediment and silt poured down from the landslide.

Secretary Steve Martin said that this is usually the busiest time of year for catching fish but few have been seen since the landslide.

He said: “The main concern we have had is the water quality, the water has basically turned to treacle, it’s a really dark colour.

“We have hardly seen any fish in the area for weeks and we are really struggling at a time when we are trying to gain new members and make the most of what is usually a busy time of year.

“We had to cancel an open day recently because of the landslide. I’m worried that this could affect us for a long time. United Utilities has promised that it will be doing a fish survey to see how the quantity is being affected and staff have said they will help to remove some of the silt build-up.”

The club only relaunched earlier this year following work on The Dingle.

Due to the location of the pond at the bottom of the woods, work on other reservoirs such as Earnsdale and Dean above it has caused silt to come down into the water before.

Mr Martin said: “If you talk to fishermen, they always want to catch more, but in water that looks like coffee it’s not possible.

“We have had issues before but not anything really like this.

“It is one of those things, you can’t point the finger at anyone, it’s just unfortunate we just hope it can be resolved soon.”

A spokesman for United Utilities said: “We have been in contact with the fishing club since the landslide, and are looking at how we can support them after sediment was washed into the pond.

“We are also liaising with the River Ribble Trust.”