The cause of ongoing sewage pollution at a picturesque river spot has been discovered.

Thorpe Island in Thorpe St Andrew's River Green has proved contentious in recent years due to issues with the disposal of waste and sewage.

A faulty pipe has now been discovered as the root of the sewage woes.

The Environment Agency is responsible for the disposal of sewage while the Broads Authority is responsible for the navigation bylaws concerning the boats moored in the area.

An Environment Agency spokeswoman said: "The Environment Agency has been working with the relevant stakeholders to resolve this issue.

“Together, we have identified the cause of the pollution and have been able to repair one break in the relevant pipe. However, a further misconnection has been found which we are working to resolve.

"We take any pollution incident seriously and will continue to work hard with all parties involved to stop this pollution as soon as possible."

The town council and county councillor Ian Mackie had both raised concern over the river pollution.

Some neighbours have also raised their concerns to the town council over moorings that they believe do not have planning permission.

The Broads Authority is responsible for enforcing the rules of the Broads.

This includes work to insure vessels are registered, have paid a toll and, where relevant, have a boat safety certificate in place.

It is understood the boats are checked on a regular basis and the Broads Authority follow up all instances where the boats are non-compliant.

The Broads Authority also enforce the 24-hour limit on moorings which the authority manages.

For moorings not managed by the authority, such as those in Thorpe St Andrew, it is up to the landowner or person operating the mooring to enforce any rules on length of stay.

The public should report suspected pollution as soon as possible to the Environment Agency's free 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

To find out more about the bylaws which the Broads Authority is responsible for, visit www.broads-authority.gov.uk/boating/navigating-the-broads/byelaws-and-speed-limits.