Huge bubbles fill Tameside road 'like a foam party in Ibiza' after grim river 'chemical pollution'

An investigation is underway after a Greater Manchester street was left looking like 'a foam party in Ibiza' after bubbles floated up into the air from a river in Tameside

Bubbles rising from a Greater Manchester river into a street have been compared to a "foam party in Ibiza" as an investigation has started into the cause of the pollution.

Residents in Tameside were met by the unusual sight of the bubbles filling the air after it originated from the River Tame near Park Road, Dukinfield. They also made their way onto streets in Stalybridge and Ashton as they were blown.

Derek Cooper, 89, who lives close to the river, was taken aback by the bizarre occurrence. "It was horrendous," he remarked. "It was all up in the air. It was like a snow storm. At the back [of my house] it was full of foam."

He also expressed his worry about potential environmental damage and recalled a similar event from a few years back. The strange phenomenon also surprised commuters on their way to work, with roads and pavements blanketed in foam.

Another resident, a 51-year-old woman who preferred to remain anonymous, shared her astonishment at the scene. "I was looking out of the window at the back," she told the Manchester Evening News. "I couldn't figure out what it was. I came to the front, and it was all the way down, all on the road. I've just been talking to people about it."

She added, "It's never done that before. I've never seen that. It was like a foam party in Ibiza going past my window." Foam blanketed the River Tame near Park Road, and there was no sign of it shifting through this afternoon. A further person, who gave his name as Troop, aged 79, said: "I feel sorry for the fish. It came over the house once and all over the road."

The Environment Agency has started an inquiry and it comes after Jamie Woodward, professor of physical geography at the University of Manchester, has repeatedly raised concerns about pollution in the River Tame over recent years.

Prof Woodward said: "The River Tame has been subjected to repeated pollution events in recent years in addition to the routine sewage discharges." He continued: "This is a particularly bad case of chemical pollution. It looks like a scene from the 1970s when our local rivers were grossly polluted."

And Prof Woodward added: "Today's incident has been reported to the Environment Agency and I would expect them to launch an investigation. This is a timely test of their effectiveness.

"I know that many anglers on the Tame have become extremely frustrated because they report pollution incidents in good faith but see little or no action. With the Labour Conference just down the road in Liverpool, this is a reminder of just how important it is to properly fund the Environment Agency and to make sure that polluters pay for any environmental damage."

An Environment Agency spokesman said: "We would like to thank members of the public who reported the presence of foam in Dukinfield around the River Tame in Tameside. Environment Agency officers are currently out on site investigating the source and if there are any possible environmental impacts."