Sudden rainfall leads to fish deaths at Worthing's Brooklands Lake

Worthing Borough Council has acted quickly to protect the wildlife in Worthing's Brooklands Lake after a naturally occuring phenomenon caused fish to die.
By The Newsroom
Published 30th Jul 2018, 16:06 BST
Updated 31st Aug 2018, 16:59 BST
A number of fish casualties at Brooklands Lake, picture by Lorraine Pollard SUS-180730-145907001A number of fish casualties at Brooklands Lake, picture by Lorraine Pollard SUS-180730-145907001
A number of fish casualties at Brooklands Lake, picture by Lorraine Pollard SUS-180730-145907001

The prolonged period of hot weather followed by heavy rainfall this weekend has led to oxygen being stripped from lakes and rivers across the South East.

At Brooklands, oxygen levels dropped from their normal level of 65 per cent to between ten and 25 per cent - causing a small percentage of roach and rudd to die.

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After being alerted to the situation this morning (July 30), teams from the council’s parks team brought in large water pumps to aerate the water and increase oxygen levels, which helped stabilise the situation.

A number of fish casualties at Brooklands Lake, picture by Lorraine Pollard SUS-180730-145856001A number of fish casualties at Brooklands Lake, picture by Lorraine Pollard SUS-180730-145856001
A number of fish casualties at Brooklands Lake, picture by Lorraine Pollard SUS-180730-145856001

Council staff also alerted the Environment Agency immediately, who have carried out tests in the lake. They confirmed the incident does not appear to be related to any form of algae which has formed on the lake in recent months due to the warm weather.

A spokesman for Adur & Worthing Councils said: “While we had no control over the causes of this incident, the quick actions of our staff appear to have reduced the risk to thousands of creatures living in the lake.

“The situation looks to be stabilising. Teams will remain on site for the rest of the day as we continue to monitor the situation.

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“As many residents will be aware, we have recently invested a six-figure sum to restore Brooklands Lake to its former glory and work on this remains ongoing.

Council staff working to aerate the water at Brooklands Lake SUS-180730-145917001Council staff working to aerate the water at Brooklands Lake SUS-180730-145917001
Council staff working to aerate the water at Brooklands Lake SUS-180730-145917001

“We will also continue to keep on pushing forward with our masterplan proposals which will focus on improvements for the rest of the park. Details will be revealed shortly.

“We want to thank local residents for their ongoing support and patience while we carry out these major works.”

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Related topics:Environment AgencySouth East