NORTH Dorset District Council is to conduct a review on its annual treatment of the River Stour for Blandford Fly.

It follows Dorset Public Health Authority’s decision not to continue contributing to the cost of the treatment.

Leader of the council Cllr Deborah Croney said: “Both Dorset’s Public Health Authority and the local Clinical Commissioning Group of GPs have said that this issue should be managed by Public Health England, which has now been asked to lead the review.”

The review will establish a firm scientific basis for the future approach to this problem.

Following the introduction of a new EU licensing regime for the chemical used to treat the river, the company that manufactures it has had to apply for a new licence.

NDDC has recently been informed that due to a backlog in dealing with these applications, the licence is unlikely to be granted in time for the usual treatment next March.

The review will be asked to address this issue.