Wildlife Critical in local angling lake
05 July 2011 by Paul Rhoades
I am both saddened and dismayed at what is nothing short of a total lack of action by the authorities to make any kind of effort to try to either prevent or waylay the mass extinction of fish in a pond in Scunthorpe.
I know, many of you may say "well its only fish", but to me the point is a much greater one which demonstrates a couldn't care less attitude to our local environment. Just walking around the sides of the pond this evening this is apparent as years of waste, filth and rubbish which have been dumped in the pond are now clearly visible.
Add to this the bloated fly blown corpses of the fish and the sight is quite frankly disgusting.
Located off Olive Drive (running from Morrison's to Timberland's), residents have voiced concerns over recent weeks about the water levels in whats referred to locally as the "concrete pond".
Despite calls to the environment agency, the lake is now playing host to an unfolding tragedy as water levels continue to fall and fish perish.
A small amount of water now remains in the middle and to the southern end of the pond where some fish survive in a clearly distressed state as the level of water barely covers them.
Gulls have taken to wading through what little water remains to make the most of the fish which lie dead in just a few inches of water.
This has been occurring since the weekend, when on Sunday afternoon and into the evening, local anglers did what they could to catch as many fish as possible and move them to the near by larger lake adjacent to Morrisons.
Despite repeated calls to the environment agency no apparent action has been taken by the authorities to make any attempt at either netting the remaining fish, or to top up the pond's water levels from the nearby Emanuel beck which lies just a few meters away from the pond.
I'll be mailing the photos attached to this article to the local council (environmental.health@northlincs.gov.uk) and also to the environment agency ( enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk), and will be asking that immediate measures are taken to refill the pond from the nearby beck. Should you have time, I suggest that you also do the same.
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Correction duly noted by Hamst - the pool is located off Olive Drive, not Poole Drive as previously reported. PR.
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Comments
Thanks for helping to draw attention to this.
Frustratingly, the local anglers who have been forced to take action to save the fish could face prosecution for moving them and have put themselves at risk of illness by entering the pond given the state of the water. Interestingly, those anglers involved in the 'rescue' do not fish in that pond, they are serious carp anglers who fish private ponds. There will be no personal gain for them. They also ruined their own equipment.
Local residents informed the anglers on Sunday that they had been contacting the Environment Agency for quite some time about the dropping water level but had received no response.
We have had confirmation that the pond will be cleared of the rest of the fish on Friday.
StephI've just received a copy of an email from Cllr Davison who is a Councillor for the Ashby Ward, she is questioning why no action can be taken until Friday.
If any one is threatened with prosecution let us know, utter madness!
Come on, there must be some fireman reading this, get a tender down there and get pumping, its very distressing for the few fish that are left, they are not going to make it till Friday.
Wonder how much it would cost to hire a pump and do it our selves? I bet the environment agency would be there like a shot!
Update on Ashby pond from Tim Allen, NLC Environment Officer:
The council have met with the fire brigade to see if they can fill the pond. They have confirmed that they are unable to do this as there are no fire
hydrants close by .
They have met with the EA to look at the possibility of extracting water from the beck but pollution levels are too high. A last resort is to remove the fish. However, this has to be done right and the correct/relevant licences for fish removal must be acquired, and a holding facility so that the fish can be assessed for disease.
One of the problems with people moving the fish themselves is that they could be spreading diseases to another pond. Regardless of this the council have arranged for a local guy who is licenced to remove fish to start the fish removal from friday
onwards.
Apparently many people are however, unhappy with the prospect of no fish being left in the pond.
The council have met with the fire brigade to see if they can fill the pond. They have confirmed that they are unable to do this as there are no fire
hydrants close by .
They have met with the EA to look at the possibility of extracting water from the beck but pollution levels are too high. A last resort is to remove the fish. However, this has to be done right and the correct/relevant licences for fish removal must be acquired, and a holding facility so that the fish can be assessed for disease.
One of the problems with people moving the fish themselves is that they could be spreading diseases to another pond. Regardless of this the council have arranged for a local guy who is licenced to remove fish to start the fish removal from friday
onwards.
Apparently many people are however, unhappy with the prospect of no fish being left in the pond.
Thanks for your efforts Andrea, I am sure that people appreciate you trying to get some thing done about it.
I find it difficult to believe that there are no fire hydrants close enough to the pond for the fire brigade to refill it.
I also find it difficult to accept that the beck is polluted any worse than the pond is currently, and would be interested to know exactly what the Environment Agency thing it is polluted with? Certainly there is an abundance of Fish in the beck at the moment, perhaps I am being naive, but one would assume if fish could live in the water of the beck, then the water of the beck could support the lives of fish in a pond?
I can understand the need for a holding facility for fish being moved, but I hope that the movement of these fish is not being way laid by the buracracy of having to wait for a licence.
Without being over dramatic if something is not done soon, come Friday they will be dredging for copses..
I rang the E.A last night and they said they could not do anything because it is a pond and not a river !
The pond has been left too long and now the area has lost a facility that gave many people a free pastime.
Shame on you Scunthorpe Council and E,A.
Maybe it is a plan by SBC to let the fish rot: no fish = fill pond in = more building land !
Sums up the attitude to the South East area of Scunthorpe. Field on Timberlands neck high grass, road between Timberlands and Lakeside a dumping ground, no cycle path outside Tata works. Perhaps if we had a lower class of housing in this area we might get treated like Westcliff / riddings, or is it all the government handouts that make those areas a better proposition to keep tidy and not an eyesore
Hi Baz,
I was told late on Sunday evening that at least one member of the public had telephoned the Environment Agency and that they had been told that the EA could not act as they were not aware as to who owned the lake.
How true this is I do not know. I also spoke to a couple of people who were at the lake who said that they had reported the falling water level last week, again 2nd hand information that I could not corroborate but on the face of it, it looks like the EA have been informed of this for several days now.
I'm struggling to understand why the fire brigade can not be involved, surely there must be a way in which a hose could be extended from the nearest hydrant? I appreciate that the fire brigade are there to save human lives and must prioritize but this is such a sad and shameful loss not just to people living in that area but to a lot of local residents who use the pond.
Just read today's ST. all hey had done is have a meeting,pathetic response.
Paul, regarding
the beck - apparently the issue is that it has a very high nutrient load that is ok
providing that the water is moving. If you put this into a pond
situation where you do not get natural aeration you are likely to get an
algal bloom which in itself will kill the fish. The council has asked them for the full nutrient position for the beck to see if they can put a
small amount of water in. This will be diluted by the existing pond
waters. They are investigating this at the moment.
Cheers Andrea.
I figured it would be something to do with the PH balance of the water when concentrated into a pond but I'm not an angler so don't feel qualified to make comment. I was pretty sure though that the water in the Beck had been cleaned up a lot in recent years and wasn't "polluted" as such.
I just hope that once rectified the facility can be maintained for future use.
Thanks for the updates, please do keep adding information as it becomes available.
Fire Brigade down there now, just passed them and they were getting a pump rdy, too little too late !
latest news from Tim Allen:
"just got back from the site. After discussion with the EA we decided we could put some water in from the beck. We are aiming to get about 4 inch in. This should not give us too much of a problem with Eutrophication and will give us some extra breathing space before we remove the fish over the weekend. We will be back pumping tomorrow from 8 and will continue to pump throughout the day. This should be sufficient."
"just got back from the site. After discussion with the EA we decided we could put some water in from the beck. We are aiming to get about 4 inch in. This should not give us too much of a problem with Eutrophication and will give us some extra breathing space before we remove the fish over the weekend. We will be back pumping tomorrow from 8 and will continue to pump throughout the day. This should be sufficient."
Any idea what time on saturday electro fishing will start, and will there ever be fish put back in the pond ?
Thank you every one who has left comment on this matter, this isnt the first of an angler of 20 years i have encountered difficulty with the EA regarding fish safety in ponds, This is the reason why i have kicked up a fuss this time as its on my doorstop and wanted to save some fish from a horrible drawn out death from the EA`s ignorance.
I also would like to know what time they are doing the electrofish if anyone can found that out that would be great.
Its good that they topped it up a little as those remaining fish still included some larger carp in need of oxygen fast which they have got.
Shame we will loose a local pond which kept many happy for a days fishing.
To clarify questions about what will be happening in the future, I spoke to Cllr Grant who is one of the 3 councillors representing Ashby ward where the pond is. Mick ran earlier this afternoon and said he'd been following the story closely on twitter and wanted to put people's mind's at rest over the future of the pond and the area immediately around it.
Mick told me that last winter he met with other ward councilors, parish councilors and officers from the council at the site of the pond to discuss its future, in light of plans to build more housing around that area of Scunthorpe.
Plans had been discussed to build not only on the site of the pond, but to also remove the footpath from the side of the beck, depriving hundreds of local residents to what is a very nice facility..
Mick has however told me that following the visit to the site by both NLC and Parish councilors, the plans were amended and that the area on the south side of the road up to the roundabout will be designated a green zone. This included leaving the footpath as it is currently.
So in short it would appear that the pond will be staying and hopefully the area around it will be better kept in the future.
They could start with a couple of rubbish bins out to encourage people using the area to be a bit cleaner though!.
That really would be good for the area if some attention was paid to the surroundings around the timberlands and lakeside estates, i live with a view of that field which is just shocking and turning in to a dumping ground.
Was surprisingly cut the other day which made such an improvement so hope that carrys on.
The pond and its litter really does`nt show how an angler treats his/hers surroundings beginners who angle in the pond don`t get the basics of the sport. With a bit direction they learn to respect and take it home, Private Lakes and private stretches of river where i go are kept spotless and maintained to a high standard with all wildlife in mind and fully respected by all.
Some bins would help though! Also some basic country code signs.
Lets also not forget that swans visit this pond every year attracting many of familys to its banks.
Should be improved for that reason alone.
All I am being told so far is that it was the EA\'s concerns, over \"contamination levels\" in the beck, that lay behind the pond ending up beyond a critical state!
Will someone PLEASE qualify exactly how and when the EA and/or NLC were contacted, in the weeks/days leading up to this last weekend\'s environmental and animal welfare fiasco, to report their concerns over deteriorating water levels in the pond?
Also has anyone contacted the RSPCA regarding the situation and to report the welfare concerns and loss of fish stocks?
When i called for the first time on sunday night when the fish were popping up dead i was told by the EA not to worry as its been reported already and action is being planned, This was not good enough for me as the fish were dying infront of me and the ducks were not looking too chuffed.
Rang EA again first thing monday morning to find out what was happening and was given a contact called matt baker i aquired his number and he gave me tim allens name at the council but no number, Went on the council website and found his email address and sent it at 11.30 monday morning making him aware i was pushing this and asking for answers. Did not recieve a reply until 9am tuesday morning after i sent another email that was`nt so nice, Tim however realised the scale of this and did what he could from that point.
Who the previous people were i am unsure of their names and it seams like i was the only person to get a reference number to the incident, I did see a guy down there who told me he had been in contact with the EA and reported to them the dropping water levels and his concern for the fish.
Obviously not taken seriously enough by the EA.
Great stuff luke, thanks for this very useful information. More validated evidence would be appreciated from others.
Already received and extremely grateful for Cllr Liz Redfern's account and explanation for the most recent events. However, not entirely convinced that the fundamental questions have been answered.
Firstly, how this was all allowed to get to such a critical, almost irretrievable situation? Secondly, how we ensure that repeat incidents are avoided and/or if more effective co-ordinated joint agency emergency plans are to be put in place?
Rather than make public and feed in the challenges and council responses to the outstanding concerns at this stage. To be fair, probably best if the council is given the opportunity to respond and I will forward onto Thoades.
Luke
As regards to the field please read the following. There was a plan drawn up in March 2009 with regards to putting a fence around the open ends with kissing gates and a path alll the way around it. Also a sum of £2800/annum towards the upkeep from Jewitts ( the owner) Some how SBC seem to of back tracked or are ignoring this plan. I recieved this today:
As regards to the field please read the following. There was a plan drawn up in March 2009 with regards to putting a fence around the open ends with kissing gates and a path alll the way around it. Also a sum of £2800/annum towards the upkeep from Jewitts ( the owner) Some how SBC seem to of back tracked or are ignoring this plan. I recieved this today:
Baz
As you will be aware the grass was cut the other day.
The transfer of the land is still in the hands of solicitors, there was a
recent query re the accuracy of the plan produced for the transfer but that has
been resolved. I can not say when the transfer will be completed but I have
stated to our solicitor that we want it asap..
The council's Environment Team have been contacted by a community group
that's forming to help plan the site, raise funds and potentially carry out some
of the works to the site. Apparently, they are going to have a half-page spread
in the Scunthorpe Telegraph and are going to set up a community meeting.
If you would like to be involved with this group then just let me know and
I can pass your contact details on to the relevant people.
Regards
Seems like SBC are now relying on a lifestyle group or similar to do the work they should be doing.
Seems like SBC are now relying on a lifestyle group or similar to do the work they should be doing.
As there is no profit in it, they can not sell it to their friends, so this is the point at which their "big society" steps in.
Good isn't it?
Just been down to the pond. no sign of action yet. Does anyone know what time the electro-fishing is due to start ?
Just had a wonder down there my self, no one down there to move them, and sadly it does look like the water level has dropped a couple of inches over night, difficult to say accurately but it seems lower near the outflow pipe than yesterday.
There were a couple of members of the public hanging around to see what happens, said they'd been there most of the morning and no one had been, I dropped round at 8am and there was no one there then so they can't have started yet.
If any one spots them in the mean time, please drop @Thoades a tweet as I want a few photos for an update, just seen a couple of lovely big carp in there. I also understand that the Evening Telegraph intend to send a photographer
I've also received an important update from Cllr Davison yesterday which in summary states that the concrete pond has been identified as one of the areas in the Local Development Framework which will be redeveloped for housing, and that at some point in the future the pond may be removed.
In an email from a council officer to Cllr Davison, the officer states "The concrete pond is man made not natural, is not part of any drainage system & will always be affected by adverse weather .I am also surprised that the concrete has withstood the elements as long as it has and in my view its only a matter of time before it fails structurally.Fishing is catered for in the big lake."
The email also goes on to state :
"It was confirmed that the site should go forward for development which would of course necessitate the removal of the pond.
There is a balancing pond on the north side of the Parkway which will remain --as this is part of the drainage system for Lakeside --perhaps this is where the confusion lies ??"
This is in stark contrast to a conversation I had with a member of the public who informed me that they had also spoken to some one at the council (not in the planning department) who had talked about the possibility of repairs being made to the pond and the area redeveloped as a green zone.
My guess is that there are probably several options available to the council and that these plans will be discussed in due course. It's important in the immediate future that an eye is kept on developments over the weekend and the fish in the lake are rescued as promised.
was down at the pond today too. i left at 1:30 and still nothing happening. The carp are doing ok tho. saw loads of them. just 2 dead fish seen. chub i think
Just had a nice walk down there with the dog, I don't know if any effort has been made to start removing the fish from it, but there are still fish in there, quite a few really.
If any one sees any one down there tomorrow, drop me a message on twitter (@Thoades) and I'll get down and take a few photos.
Just come back from my syndicate fishing lake and found out it wont be happening until monday. The contractor carrying out the removal of the fish happens to run the fishery which i am a member of, He runs 3 lakes alltogether.
So i`m pretty certain he will be there on monday.
Lots of fish were taken out today. About 10 different speices all in surprisingly good health the guys said. Some pics on the Facebook group "Scunthorpe News" Be in the Telegraph sometime too
Great news then, the fish have been taken out, but hold on
I just walked the dog down there and the level is 6" below the outfall pipe, 2" more than yesterday, no problem you say.
Whilst down there 2 people fishing ! I stated to the wife that the fish had been removed and they were wasting their time, at which point i say a fish top, then looking at the east side of the lake there was loads of fish topping,!
I prdict that by Wednesday we will have a repeat performance of last week.
I hope i am not been a pessamist and they are coming back tomorrow to finsh getting the remaining fish out, but i fear for the worst!
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