Rob Williams of Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group writes:

As the snow disappeared  at the beginning of March and everybody breathed a sigh of relief that they could go back to work and school on the Monday, the melt-water was bringing an unwelcome delivery for our local nature reserves. Somewhere upstream of Forty Acres in Stoke Gifford, an oily substance had found its way into the Stoke Brook and was flowing downstream through the area.

The Environment Agency were contacted, as they are responsible for investigating pollution events in the water courses. South Gloucestershire Council and the town council were also informed and there were many messages and comments on the TBNCG Facebook page. The concern and interest from the public has been enormous.

The Environment Agency, along with Wessex Water, have spent many hours out searching for the source of the pollution. It may sound like a simple job to walk back up the brook until the culprit is found, but the brook is culverted under the railway and splits in several places. The oily substance is a light hydrocarbon and easily mixes with water, only showing on the surface where the water flow is slow. This means that booms or sponges in the brook won’t retain or absorb the oil and therefore haven’t been deployed.

The extent of the leak appears to be diminishing at the time of writing [mid-March] and there have been no visible effects on the local wildlife, yet. With events like this, it is very important that the public help by reporting direct to the Environment Agency. Investigations can then be conducted straight away.

If you spot a worsening of this spill, please phone 0800 807060 and quote incident reference number 1594021. Please also report any future spills on the same number.

Photo: A rainbow sheen on the surface of the water at one of the weirs on Stoke Brook is a tell-tale indicator of a pollution incident upstream in Stoke Gifford  or Filton

This article originally appeared in the April 2018 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine (on page 11). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to 9,200 homes in Bradley Stoke and Little Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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Work to build a new sewer pipe beneath the M4 motorway has reached an important milestone, with tunnel boring now fully under way at the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve in Bradley Stoke.

As part of its work to complete the final phase of the £15 million Frome Valley Relief Sewer scheme, Wessex Water is tunnelling beneath the motorway from a site adjacent to the ‘duck pond’, close to Juniper Way.

The sewer will provide additional capacity for new developments in the area, diverting wastewater flows from South Gloucestershire to the Bristol sewage treatment works in Avonmouth.

Project manager Mike Bryant said:

“Work is progressing well, with the M4 tunnel crossing works getting under way in the final week of July and due to last for approximately four months.”

The first sections of the Frome Valley Relief Sewer were laid in areas of North Bristol and Yate during the 1980s and 1990s.

Wessex Water is now constructing a 5km long, 1.8m diameter pipe that will run from Iron Acton, north of Frampton Cotterell, and then westwards to Bradley Stoke.

More: Tunnelling also needed in Winterbourne and Iron Acton areas »

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Work to construct a tunnel to carry a new sewer pipe under the M4 motorway is due to begin in Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve on Monday 24th April.

The work, which is expected to last for approximately six months, will involve setting up a fenced site compound on the triangular area of grass near the bridge over Hortham Brook where it flows into the ‘duck pond’. A six-metre deep shaft will be constructed in this location, from where a tunnel will be bored to accommodate the new 1.8m-diameter sewer pipe.

The tunnel will form part of a new 5km-long link between Frampton Cotterell and Bradley Stoke, completing the final link in the Frome Valley Relief Sewer which was begun in the 1990s.

A temporary footpath will be in place and access will be maintained at all times.

Heavy construction plant and machinery will also have access to carry out the work. This will be achieved via a temporary access point on Bradley Stoke Way, close to the bridge over Stoke Brook.

A Wessex Water spokesperson said:

“While we carry out the work we will take care to protect the natural habitats and environment of the local wildlife. Once our work is complete we will return the local nature reserve to the condition we found it.”

“We apologise in advance for any inconvenience this work may cause.”

Further information about the work can be found on the Wessex Water website at www.wessexwater.co.uk/FromeValley

More: Cross-sectional diagram of sewer tunnel route »

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Wessex Water has submitted a planning application for permission to construct a temporary vehicle access point into the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve from Bradley Stoke Way.

The access is needed to allow vehicles to reach a works compound that is to be set up near the ‘duck pond’, from where a tunnel for a new sewer is to be dug to a point on the other side of the M4 motorway.

The work forms part of a new 5km-long addition to the Frome Valley Relief Sewer (FVRS), which was started in the early 1990s.

The access point is on the east side of Bradley Stoke Way, close to where it crosses over the Stoke Brook. It will link Bradley Stoke Way with Concorde Way, the shared used footpath and cycleway which leads down into the nature reserve near the road bridge.

Permission is being sought to create the tarmacked access point for a period of 20 weeks, after which the highway verge will be restored to its current condition.

Public consultation on the planning application runs until 17th March.

In related news, South Gloucestershire Council has posted notices in the nature reserve stating that scrub clearance work associated with the FVRS project will commence this Monday (6th March).

A plan on the notice shows the area of work as being along the track between the Bradley Stoke Way road bridge and the ‘duck pond’.

More: Temporary pathway to be constructed in nature reserve. »

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