Complaint made after rubbish and alcohol bottles found in Canoe Lake

Council workers have been busy cleaning up a Southsea lake after complaints of rubbish and alcohol bottles left in the water.
Canoe Lake on Saturday. Picture: Wayne RoycroftCanoe Lake on Saturday. Picture: Wayne Roycroft
Canoe Lake on Saturday. Picture: Wayne Roycroft

Wayne Roycroft took his wife Khanittha and two-year-old daughter Alyssa to Canoe Lake in Southsea on Saturday but was horrified to see the litter floating in the water.

The Gosport resident said there were at ‘least 20’ bottles visible near to where children and their families were feeding the swans and ducks.

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He told The News: ‘It was not very clean really, there was lots of rubbish in the lake.

‘We had looked online and chose the lake as it looked like a nice place for tourists.

‘It doesn’t give a very good impression of the area. There were lots of people around.’

Although Mr Roycroft said he did not know where the rubbish had come from, he suggested that it could have been left by people drinking by the lake on Friday night.

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Portsmouth City Council confirmed a complaint had been made about the rubbish in the lake and it had now been cleaned.

Mr Roycroft added: ‘It’s good that they have cleared it up, and it should be done quickly.’

Cllr Linda Symes, the city council’s cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport, said: ‘As soon as we were alerted to concerns about Canoe Lake we informed our contractor and everything was cleared up within 24 hours.

‘We work hard to keep all areas of the seafront clean and tidy, but unfortunately some irresponsible people still litter and algae is a natural occurrence we have to manage.

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‘I’m very pleased that on this occasion we were able to respond quickly and ensure as many people as possible could enjoy the area over the weekend. ‘Littering is an ongoing problem which takes up a considerable amount of time and public money, if people would act more responsibly it would enable everyone to enjoy our open spaces.’