Chippenham residents are invited to join a Yellow Fish campaign on Saturday November 17 to raise awareness of water pollution.

Most open drains take rainwater directly to the nearest stream or waterway so any oils, paints, solvents or chemicals poured down these drains directly enter the local watercourse and can have a huge impact on wildlife. Working with local councils and community leaders, the Yellow Fish campaign is a community-led initiative led by Bristol and Avon Rivers Trust (BART) and supported by Wessex Water as part of an ongoing project to engage with the local Chippenham community. Join a guided walk round the local streets to “paint” yellow fish – using temporary non-harmful chalk-based paints – alongside roadside drains, as well as putting up information posters about the campaign.

Kirsty Scarlett, head of community engagement at Wessex Water, said: “We successfully ran the Yellow Fish campaign earlier this year in Bath and it would be great to see the people of Chippenham helping us raise awareness of this important issue.”

Harriet Alvis, Project Manager at BART, said: “By delivering this campaign, we hope to show everyone the link between preventing pollution in the town and cleaning up our rivers for the benefit of people and wildlife.”

Everyone is welcome to this family friendly event. Meet at the Town Hall for 9:30am. Book by emailing community@wessexwater.co.uk or visit www.facebook.com/wessexwater/events.