ENVIRONMENT Agency staff have been busy dealing with oil pollution in a Malvern stream.

But work is still going on to establish how the oil got into the water.

The agency was called out on Wednesday after the pollution was spotted in the Whiteacres Brook, which runs alongside fields below Sling Lane, towards Harbinger Avenue.

And grateful residents provided mugs of tea to keep the staff refreshed while they dealt with the incident.

The Environment Agency is working with Severn Trent Water and other partners to identify the source of the pollution.

A spokesman said: “We believe, pending further analysis, it is used lubricating or hydraulic oil. It appears tens of litres found their way into the brook.

“We have deployed booms to trap the oil and pads to absorb it. We are also clearing contaminated vegetation from the lower part of the brook and hope to have removed the worst of the contamination over the next few days.

“At the moment we have not seen any wider environmental impacts.”

Deborah Stanley, of Cotswold Road, Malvern, said: “I walked my dog in the field behind Greenhill Drive [on Wednesday] and my dog went into the stream and was covered in an oily substance.

“I rushed her home and tried to get her cleaned up, it took several showers to get her cleaned.

“I contacted the Environment Agency to let them know, I also contacted some friends and neighbours to make them aware.”

A member of the public, who did not want to give her name, also called up to warn about the pollution.

She said she had heard that a member of the public’s dog had been into the stream and got oil all over its coat An Environment Agency spokesman said: “We have heard that dogs that have been in the stream and have been affected, and we urge owners to keep their dogs out of the stream.”

The agency said the incident demonstrates how careful people need to be when disposing of oil.

A spokesman said: “You should always contact your local authority, which will have details of the nearest oil bank where used oil can be safely disposed of free.”

The nearest oil bank is at the recycling centre in Newland.