Fish left to die as park pond water levels drop

Illegally dumped carp living in a park pond are dying as water levels drop in the heatwave.

People have been fishing out carp floating on the pond in Queens Park in recent days after they have suffocated to death.

But Brighton and Hove City Council says it cannot top up the pond with tapwater, as that would kill the fish – and disease control rules mean it is too difficult to move them at short notice.

Park user Richard James said: “Over the last few days we have had to remove many dead fish as the water is dropping, and as the pond is filthy with silt and lack of water movement, I would guess fish are suffocating.

“There a lot of fish that are alive, but as water drops we will see more die.

“We cannot get hold of the council and East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service cannot help as they don’t own water, so we are waiting for Southern Water to assist.

“I’ve also got RSPCA involved, who again can not do anything.

“We have had no reply from Caroline Lucas, Lloyd Russell-Moyle or ward councillors.

“This is a repeat of Stanmer Park a few years ago.”

A council spokesman said: “We appreciate that many residents are upset about fish in Queen’s Park pond dying at the moment. Ultimately the problem is due to the hot, dry weather we’ve had.

“Our chalk ponds are not fed by streams. The water comes from highway run-off that goes through filters before filling the pond.

“So during periods of prolonged dry weather, even with the best will in the world the water in these ponds slowly evaporates.

“Instances of fish dying are usually as a result of low oxygen levels, which is often related to dying algal blooms as a result of hot weather.

“There should be no fish in the ponds in our parks for precisely these reasons.

“But unfortunately some people release their unwanted fish into them.

“Moving the fish at short notice is extremely difficult because of national disease testing regulations.

“Filling the pond with tap water would be extremely expensive and would cause further algal bloom that would further remove oxygen.

“We will be putting signs up at the pond discouraging people from dumping their fish in there.

“Due to the global climate emergency, issues around extreme weather and increasingly hot weather are only going to get worse.

“This underlines the importance of the commitment we’ve made to becoming carbon-neutral by 2030.”