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Boat on the (still clean) Uecker near Torgelow (symbolic picture)
Photo: Robert Fishman / ecomedia / IMAGO
With the medieval way of washing up in the river, an association in Torgelow (Vorpommern-Greifswald) has triggered a large-scale operation by water protection authorities. On Wednesday evening, the experts found an approximately one-kilometer-long, slightly oily contamination on the Uecker downstream, as a spokesman for the water police announced on Thursday.
Research revealed that a member of the club village – where visitors are generally introduced to life in the early Middle Ages – had fried something with a giant pan as in the old days. After eating from the 70-centimeter-long tin pan, the man washed everything in the river "according to the historical model". The residues of grain mixed with cooking oil triggered the light oil film. The water police took samples and are now investigating on suspicion of contamination.
It is still unclear whether there will be a penalty. According to experts, a prerequisite for punishment is that it is a "sustained contamination in the water". However, the employees of the district's water authority assessed the pool as "not worthy of combat". Ultimately, the public prosecutor's office will decide whether the proceedings will be discontinued, it said.
him/dpa