ANGRY anglers are concerned about the safety of a South Lakeland river which they say has been contaminated with raw sewage for months.

They say foul smelling, discoloured water that has been polluting the River Kent, near Kendal, since the December floods was impacting on wildlife.

Geoff Waites, of the Kent Angling Association and owner of the Carlson's Fishing Tackle shop in Kirkland, Kendal, said he has seen dead crayfish and dying seagulls.

Anglers have reported sewage downstream from a temporary discharge pipe at Kendal's Waste Water Treatment Works at Wattsfield which they claim has turned the normally crystal clear water a milky colour. The waste water works, run by United Utilities, were badly hit during the December 5 floods.

"It's being monitored really closely by anglers," said Mr Waites. "There's dead crayfish and dying seagulls. They've had four months to sort this out, the place stinks and the colour is horrendous.

"Should anglers be going in the river? Should we be taking fish out of that river? Should dogs be going in? Should cows be drinking from it? It could be a complete ecological disaster.

"I have walked down there and seen two dead seagulls, it would appear they have been poisoned. It would appear something is wrong. It's incredibly concerning, not just for anglers, but for Cumbria.

The River Kent is in a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), as well as an important river for salmon and trout fishing.

United Utilities said that work to restore the treatment works to full capacity is set to be completed this week, at an estimated cost of £2million.

Simon Holding, production manager at the treatment works, said: "We've had dozens of engineers working long hours to return the works to normal, following the floods.

"The quality of the treated wastewater returned to the environment has been gradually improving, as more equipment has come back on line, and we're pleased to say that the treatment works will be functioning as normal in a matter of days.

"It's required a major effort, and considerable financial investment, to recover the works as quickly as we have done, following the extensive damage."

Nicki Rushton, environment manager for Morecambe Bay at the Environment Agency, has said there is nothing to suggest the discharged water is having a negative impact on the environment.

"Our partnership work includes modelling scenarios on potential effects of the ongoing works and putting in place contingency plans to mitigate any impact during the recovery period," she said. "To date our officers have not found any evidence of damage to local wildlife or the environment.

"Throughout this period the monitoring has shown an improvement in effluent quality as each stage of repair work has been completed."