Southchurch Park 'dead fish and eels' spotted by visitors

The pond at Southchurch Park East has been left “stagnant” and swarming with flies.

It comes weeks after visitors found dead ducks and fish floating on the surface of the small “overflow lake” which is used to prevent flooding during periods of high rain.

The issues at the lake, which is home to freshwater fish, eels, ducks and swans, were initially put down to “hot weather”.

However, problems have persisted and visitor Donna Cundry told the Echo she counted as many as 30 dead and decomposing eels on the surface.

She said: “This has been going on the whole summer, from June we started noticing it was very green and a month ago I saw a dead bird, I thought was a seagull.

“At the weekend it was appalling, I was just so upset as I take my elderly mum there and she was so upset she doesn’t want to go again.

“The cafe there is lovely and if people stop going it could affect the livelihood of the business, as people go for the swans and that brings a lot of people.”

Southend Labour councillor responsible for climate, environment and waste, Lydia Hyde, said: “We’re aware of the issues at our lakes and ponds in our Southchurch parks and I’m deeply saddened by the impact on nature.

“That’s why we acted quickly, with our officers spending significant time investigating the cause.

“While these lakes and ponds are cared for as part of our parks maintenance for the public to enjoy, they are part of our city’s surface water management system and connect to the sea through valved pipes managed by Anglian Water.”

Ms Hyde added that the council is investigating the possibility a pipe is leaking salt water into the lake which would cause carp species to die.

She added: “We’re working closely with them, testing the water quality, including salt levels, and checking pond infrastructure for any underlying issues.

“We’ve taken extensive samples and are now waiting for the lab results to help us identify the problem and find a solution.”