Dead fish cleared from park pond after dry summer

An emergency response team has removed dead fish from the surface of a park pond.

Reading Borough Council said the water level of the pond at Prospect Park had been left low by the long, dry summer.

It said in an attempt to keep the fish alive, it gained permission from Thames Water for the fire service to top it up, but it was only brought to half its normal depth.

A council spokesperson said it understood people's concerns about the condition of the pond, and had been taking action to deal with the issue.

The council spokesperson said: "The council contacted the Environment Agency about low water levels and loss of fish in the pond in late August, but they were unable to assist due to similar incidents occurring across the country.

"The appearance of the pond is not due to blue-green algae but duckweed, which is not considered a hazard to humans or dogs and provides shelter for aquatic life and food for ducks.

"Warm weather has boosted its growth but as the pond naturally refills over the autumn and winter, we will continue to monitor the extent of the duckweed and take action if considered necessary."

An Environment agency spokesperson said:"We understand local people will be concerned to see fish deaths at the pond in Prospect Park."

"As the owner and manager of the pond, the council is responsible for its ongoing management. We provided advice to support its response to the incident."