The Environment Agency has reassured residents there were "no environmental impacts" as a result of a suspected paint spill into a stream last week.

Residents were shocked to see the stream flowing past homes and a park had turned a milky pinkish-white last Monday morning.

The small stream flows from the north past homes in Holtwood Drive and Badger Close before disappearing under a bridge at Woodland Road.

Last week Holtwood Drive resident Mrs Jones was horrified to see the stream had turned an opaque, milky pink. She immediately contacted the Environment Agency with her concerns. Mrs Jones said this is not the first time the stream has appeared to have been polluted in a similar way. She is particularly concerned as local children and pets play in the area.

She said: "We have noticed a previous discolouration, which has passed relatively quickly. However the colour and smell today has led me to log it with the Environment Agency.

"I’m mindful that this may be due to a breakdown in sewerage pipework, but I would not be surprised if it were due to mindless irresponsibility of residents further up stream.

"The EA say they will be able to respond to my log with 10 days, however it is of great concern the damage this will be having environmentally."

Having visited the site on Monday, a South West Water spokesman said: “We attended the site with the Environment Agency.

“We have checked our infrastructure in the vicinity and everything is operating correctly. The discharge is not sewage.”

On Friday a spokesman for the Environment Agency reported back on its findings. He said the organisation believed the discolouration had come from some sort of water-based emulsion paint.

The EA had carried out tests, the spokesman said, but could not identify the source or cause of the pollution. He reassured residents, however, that it had had no environmental impacts in terms of killing fish or invertebrates.