Officers from the Environment Agency are monitoring quantities of foam that have collected on the River Wandle.

The foam escaped into the river as fire fighters fought to tackle a serious fire at a waste tyre processing plant on the Purley Way in Croydon. The fire broke out on Thursday morning (22 September).
 
Firefighters used the foam in order to bring the fire under control as quickly as possible. The Brigade’s approach minimised disruption on the nearby A23 and reduced the impact of the fire on the environment. The Environment Agency was consulted prior to the foam being used and does not expect there to be any impact on wildlife in the area.
 
Banks of foam have collected along a 10km stretch of the river, however there has been no impact on the wildlife. Environment Agency staff have deployed aerating equipment as a precaution. Volunteers from The Wandle Trust are helping to monitor the river.
 
Barrie Neaves, Environment Agency's Area Base Controller said "Our officers have been working closely with the Fire Brigade to minimise the amount of foam on the river. Although it looks quite dramatic, we don’t expect there to be any impact on the local wildlife. The foam is non toxic and water based, so it will evaporate and or become diluted in the river.”
 
Members of the public are asked not to touch the foam and can call our 24 hour incident hotline on 0800 807060 if further information is required.