Skip to content
Drain-busters debunk ‘river of slime’ that appeared in Hemlington beck and left parents stunned
It’s not every day you see a luminous green river flowing through your estate – so parents in Hemlington were left stunned this week after they found exactly that.
The stream, akin to the “river of slime” from Ghostbusters, left residents both puzzled and concerned this week after they stumbled upon the bright green water in Bluebell Beck. Michael Male was one of the residents who made the eye-popping discovery when crossing over Cass House Road on the school run.
Drain busters from Middlesbrough Council have since confirmed there is a much less non-paranormal explanation for the discolouring mystery. Teams were using a completely safe dye to investigate a drain blockage in the area following heavy rainfall – so there was no need to panic.
READ MORE: Family’s devastation after van loaded with racing gear is snatched ahead of national championship
The sighting sparked the concern of many people in community groups on Facebook – who were worried something untoward had caused the drastic colour change.
Michael told Teesside Live: “I picked up my kids from Viewley Hill Primary School in Hemlington around 3.10pm and when I was walking back past over the top of the subway on Cass House Road, myself and several over parents all noticed the unusual toxic green coloured water.
“I’ve never seen anything like it my first thought was ‘wow, how odd, this looks toxic.’ We followed it down to see if it went into Hemlington Lake but it hadn’t got there. Hopefully, it doesn’t.”
Many posts were made on Facebook sharing videos and pictures of the green stream – with one person saying that it “doesn’t look good at all.” However, the council has confirmed that the dye – which is an organic product – is non-toxic and completely harmless to people, animals and plants. It is designed to quickly disappear.
Two of the first people to be alerted to the matter were Hemlington ward councillors Nicky Walker and Jeanette Walker. In a statement, they said: “We would like to thank the Hemlington residents for their concerns and for contacting Middlesbrough Council directly and their local councillors.
“That enabled us to get a quick answer on this matter so we have been able to reassure people. We’d also like to say thank you to the council’s contact centre staff for their quick response.”
A spokesman for Middlesbrough Council said: “We can confirm a drainage investigation was being carried out on Thursday morning in the Bridport Grove area of Hemlington.
“As part of this investigation a drain dye was used. The organic dye in question is non-toxic and harmless. The dye made its way via a culverted watercourse which in turn has dispensed into bluebell beck.
“This dye itself will quickly dissipate and water will return to normal. We have a crew on becks maintenance who will check the watercourse to ensure there is nothing restricting the flow to allow it to clear.”
READ NEXT:
