A SOUTHAMPTON man has been left shocked after he witnessed "hundreds of litres" of metallic paint flowing through Southampton's water. 

Ben Thomson was walking through Redbridge Wharf Park on Saturday, January 30, when he spotted what he believed to be "hundreds of litres" of paint in the tidal waters of the River Test heading out to Southampton Water. 

He believes that the paint had come from further up the river. 

Daily Echo:

Mr Thomson took a video of the oily substance in the river and informed both the Environment Agency and the Angling Trust.

He said: "My suspicions are that the paint came from the industrial area just up river above the bridge, or even from the works presently occurring at the bridge.

"Whether recent high waters have contributed came to mind also.

"It was a terrible thing to witness. I don’t know what actions can be taken retroactively but I hope awareness can serve toward something positive."

The Environment Agency has confirmed that they were informed about the substance and investigated. 

An officer who visited the site believes the substance is an oil-based paint, but they were unable to trace the source of the pollution. 

An Environment Agency spokesman said: "The Environment Agency is keen to hear from members of the public who may have information on how waters at Redbridge Park in Southampton became polluted by an unknown substance at the weekend.

"Our officer visited the site to trace the source of the pollution, believed to be a form of oil based paint, but was unable to locate it due to the substance being washed away by the fast flowing tidal river. Enquiries were made with local businesses in the area but revealed no details.

"If anyone has information about this incident they are urged to contact the Environment Agency’s 24 hour emergency hotline in confidence on 0800 807060."

The Daily Echo contacted Southampton City Council who confirmed that the incident is being investigated by the Environment Agency.