A GIRL waded into the River Wye in Kingsmead to try and save a group of ducklings after there was an oil leak which was followed by a further rescue operation.

The RSPCA, St Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital and The Swan Rescue Team all worked together this morning to rescue swans and ducks from the river who were covered in oil.

Resident Katie Gabb, who lives in London Road, near the King George V pub said she saw some children down at the river yesterday evening at about 5.30pm.

She said: “We saw a girl getting in the water. The mum duck was dead. They were trying to get the babies- as they were catching the babies the others were drowning.

“We managed to get two and we brought them back here last night and looked after them until Tiggywinkles came and picked them up.”

A breeding pair of swans were caught this morning by the Swan Rescue Team based in Eton, after they had tried to catch the pair last night.

Wendy Hermon, treatment centre co-ordinator, said they will now take the swans back to the centre and clean them with fairy liquid and bring them back to the Wye as soon as possible.

She said the swans can die if they do not get to them quickly enough as they preen their feathers and ingest the oil. It also makes their feathers non- waterproof.

Charity workers went out on the river on kayaks and boats to see if there were more ducks and swans. It is not known at this time how many birds were affected.

Resident Lynne Rose from London Road said: “We rang the Environment Agency last night as the smell was awful.”

The Environment Agency is investigating the incident and trying to find the source of the problem, and mitigate any impact.

Spokesman Dave Ferguson said the Environment Agency has identified the area where it is coming from but has not yet identified the source.