Fears grow over fish dying in Elmore Lake in Lee-on-the-Solent as water levels drop

A resident has raised fears over a fish pond drying up in the hot weather.

Elmore Lake in Lee-on-the-Solent has been losing water as a result of the heatwave - causing many common carp to die from suffocation.

The lake falls under the responsibility of Gosport Borough Council.

Resident Linda Taylor has lived in the area for 40 years, and she said she noticed the lake's dire state two weeks ago.

‘There’s dead and dying fish down there - at least half a dozen that I saw yesterday,’ she said.

‘There’s hardly any water down there, there's about a foot around the outside and about 3in in the middle.

‘I know it got very low in the drought of 1976 but I've never seen it like this.

‘The council haven’t done anything to dredge it or anything - they haven’t maintained it at all.

‘First stop was the RSPCA and they said it wasn’t their responsibility, next stop was the council and they said they would monitor it, then I phoned the Environmental Agency and they said they would monitor it.

‘The council said they were going to dredge it years ago but they’ve run out of money and they have taken a few of the fish out and placed them in a tank somewhere.

‘I met a chap down there yesterday and he was very upset about it as well.

‘There’s a little viewing platform there where people can take their kids and feed the ducks and the fish - it’s so upsetting to see the fish die.

‘The smell of rotten fish is the next thing that’s going to happen.’

A spokesperson from Gosport Borough Council said they are working with the Environment Agency to monitor water levels and the welfare of the common carp.

‘The pond is on a gravel plain and relies on the surrounding water table to retain its water capacity.

‘We are removing sedge to help increase the water capacity naturally so as not to disturb the natural balance of the pond and will continue to monitor the situation closely.’