By Sara Oliver

A HOLT chamois leather factory has been praised for its swift action after foul-smelling septic water overflowed from its premises into a nearby stream.

The Environment Agency was alerted after a neighbour spotted black liquid pouring from J&T Beavan's factory in The Midlands on Monday afternoon.

Resident Susan Rogers called the agency after she saw the black sludge pouring across the road.

She said: "Some of it had got into the stream."

Staff from the agency and the factory worked together to trace the source of the leak and clean up the spill.

An agency spokesman said: "It was established that it was septic waste water which overflowed when the foul sewer became blocked.

"It did get into the stream but because of the recent rain it was running fast so the effect was minimal.

"The company had managed to plug the leak and clear the sewer by the time we arrived. They acted responsibly and quickly."

A company spokesman said the spillage had been caused by rotting grass going down a pipe and blocking it.