A MAJOR rescue operation has been carried out in Southend to save dozens of sick eels. 

Volunteers have been helping council staff and environmental experts to relocate the fish from one side of the lake in Southchurch Park to the other. 

Shocked residents reported seeing the eels on the side of the lake on Wednesday, with experts fearing problems with the water is causing them to jump out. 

Among the volunteers who have been helping is Charlie Coppolo, a ranger at Hanningfield Reservoir.

He said: “I was alerted to the incident by a post on Facebook, so made my way there off my own back on Wednesday.

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“Between me and three other members of the public we must have saved around 100 eels.

“We used hand netting by getting them out one side of the lake and moving them to the other side where the water wasn’t killing them, as it was separated by a sort of dam.

“I am sure a lot of them would have all died if we hadn’t gone down there and helped.”

Southend Council has since confirmed the oxygen levels in one side of the lake are very low. 

Oxygen is now being pumped into some of the affected water to solve the issue. 

A spokesman for Southend Council said: “We have checked the level of oxygen in the water which is very low.

“We are therefore pumping in oxygen via a pump from the Environment Agency until Tuesday, 24 hours a day, to increase the levels needed to sustain the fish within the lake.

“This will mean overnight security for that period which we are in the process of organising.

“We will continue to monitor this daily.”

Kursaal councillor Matt Dent added: “I am very grateful to the volunteers who yesterday moved some of the eels from the western to the fuller eastern end of the pond.

“I am also assured that a meeting has been arranged to look at how to ensure this situation does not reoccur.”