THE Environment Agency is investigating a diesel spill into the stream in Rawtenstall town centre.

Shoppers had noticed a strong smell coming from Limy Water, near to the Focus DIY store, and a film on the water's surface.

The Environment Agency was called in and is currently trying to find the source of the spill and establish whether it has caused any environmental damage.

One passer-by said: "It was an awful smell, everybody who walked past noticed it and commented on it."

He added: "It looked to me there was quite a lot of fuel in there. The surface of the water was filmy and there were ducks swimming through it."

A spokesman for the agency said: "It is possible the diesel was leaking for a few days.

"We investigated to find out where it came from, but it has now stopped, so it will be difficult to know for sure.

"It is possible that it leaked through an underground culvert. When diesel is spilled into water it always looks like a lot because it spreads out, but it probably wasn't that much."

He added: "We have not had any reports of dead fish, so there is a good chance that the environmental damage was fairly limited."