A DETERMINED environmental campaigner has secured permission to personally replace thousands of fish killed in a massive sewage leak.

Anglian Water was supposed to pay up to £3,000 towards replacing fish in a stretch of the River Crouch that passes through Wickford Memorial Park, off Runwell Road, after pleading guilty to killing more than 1,000 fish with the sewage leak in August, 2009.

The firm claimed a power cut shut down its sewage pumping station, off Runwell Road, Wickford, causing the spillage into the river.

However, no fish have yet been replaced.

Roy Hart, from the Crouch Conservation Trust, told the Echo last week he’d had enough of waiting and planned to pay about £800 from his own pocket for 3,000 fish for the river.

But he was concerned the Environment Agency might deny him permission to do this, because of concerns his fish could spread disease to other wildlife.

But the agency has now granted Mr Hart permission and he plans to release the fish tomorrow.

Mr Hart said: “I’m really pleased, because I feared there was a good chance they might say no. It’s going to cost me a few hundred pounds, but it will be worth it.”

Members of the Crouch Conservation Trust spotted two recent leaks from Anglian Water pumping stations, in August and October.

However, no fish were killed because there is virtually no wildlife left in that stretch of the river. Anglian Water was ordered by the courts to pay a total of £15,000 towards restoring the river, including £3,000 to replace the fish, following the 2009 leak.

A spokesman for Anglina Water said the Environment Agency was responsible for the delays as it knew it could collect the fine at any time, but had spent the last two years working on a plan for what to do with the cash.

No plan has so far been published.

A spokeswoman for the Environment Agency said: “We have had an application to restock the River Crouch with fish and it was successful.”