Ananova:

Nearly 1,000 protected crayfish were killed when a stretch of river was polluted by sheep dip.

The Environment Agency has launched an investigation after a member of the public spotted the bodies of hundreds of the native, white-clawed crayfish - a protected species - floating in Mill Beck, Windemere, Cumbria.

It is believed a one and a quarter mile (2km) stretch of Mill Beck was polluted by a highly toxic synthetic pyrethriod (SP) dip, small amounts of which can contaminate large stretches of water.

The river runs into Lake Windermere, but an Environment Agency spokesman said water in the lake was not thought to be affected.

"Some crayfish are believed to have survived in small tributaries of Mill Beck, but those in the affected stretch of the stream itself have been wiped out," he said

The spokesman said the pollutant has been traced to a nearby farm and investigations were under way.