TENS of thousands of fish are gasping for breath in a discoloured section of the St Helens Canal.

They came to the surface at the end near the Fiddlers Ferry Pub to in an attempt to get oxygen direct from the air.

Scores were killed by the effort to breath direct from the air despite the fish The Environment Agency's efforts to re-oxygenate the water with several pumps yesterday morning.

The situation had deterioated by Thursday, today, and the water was an even worse colour.

The water was less than 10 per cent saturated with oxygen - the normal level is more than 60 per cent.

Most fish were in a section where the canal ends where the water was dominated by a large, cloudy patch with a sewage smell, around 100 feet long.

There were intermittent patches in the water in the direction until a small footbridge around 500 yards away.

Bill Heaton, from Billinge, working in the boat yard, said: "I have never seen it like this before."

Louie Maurice, the chairman of Dallam and District fishing club, said: "I was here on Monday and everything was perfect."

The Environment Agency is investigating the incident.