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Mystery foam blankets Norfolk river as Environment Agency launches investigation

The foam first appeared on Saturday and remained visible for the whole of Sunday, with the cause of its appearance not yet known

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Images shared by the agency on Saturday morning showed the foam covering an area of the River Thet, in Thetford
Images shared by the agency on Saturday morning showed the foam covering an area of the River Thet, in Thetford. Picture: Environment Agency

By Frankie Elliott

Environment Agency officials are investigating a mysterious foam that has suddenly appeared on a river.

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Images showed a large volume of white foam covering part of the River Thet in Thetford, Norfolk.

The foam first appeared on Saturday and remained visible for the whole of Sunday, with the cause of its appearance not yet known.

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An Environment Agency spokesperson said the source of the foam had been detected and further discharge has been stopped.

An investigation is under way, but Anglian Water have already confirmed there was a "third party" involved.

"Environment Agency officers are continuing to investigate the cause of a large volume of foam found in the River Thet in the centre of Thetford, yesterday," the spokesperson said.

"Our specialist teams have collected samples, detected the possible source, and prevented any further discharge. There will be an ongoing investigation to try and ensure that this does not happen again.

"It is possible that we might see a second foam plume today and the foam will continue to travel down the river. It is still visible but will have little environmental impact as it dissipates."

An Anglian Water spokeswoman added: "One of our managers is on site helping the Environment Agency with their checks which will then go back to the third party responsible."