Mystery of why hundreds of fish died in Essex lake may have been solved

The mystery of why dozens of fish were dying in a lake in Essex may have been solved, with work now underway to fix the issue and save the wildlife in the area. Since August, local residents in Southend have been reporting large numbers of dead fish and eels at a lake in Southchurch Park.

At the time, locals were warned not to go near the waters and to keep their dogs on leads over fears the lake had been contaminated. Now the council has confirmed this was the case.

Cllr Lydia Hyde at Southend Council said that Anglia Water has discovered that all three of its valves, designed to block seawater, had failed, which meant seawater was leaking into the freshwater lake, harming aquatic wildlife.

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The council said it has now acted to insure the problem does not continue. Anglian Water has sealed the current pipes until new permanent valves are installed to ensure that no more saltwater enters the lake.

Anglian Water confirmed to EssexLive that the valve failure had been caused by 'several large pieces of wood wrongly disposed of down the sewer'. These pieces of wood had caused the valves to fail.

Cllr Lydia Hyde said: “I’m saddened by the impact on local wildlife, and we acted quickly by asking Anglian Water to conduct water tests when we suspected saltwater was entering the lakes. Residents noticed water coming into the lake sluice at high tide and saw wildlife swimming away from the area. These lakes, maintained as part of our parks, play a key role in managing surface water and connect to the sea through pipes with valves managed by Anglian Water. Tests confirmed that saltwater killed the fish.

"Using cameras, Anglian Water found that all three of their valves, designed to block seawater, had failed. As a temporary measure, they’ve used a balloon device to seal the pipe until new permanent valves are installed. We’re working closely with Anglian Water to provide as much assistance as possible in restoring this ecosystem and ensuring the lakes remain freshwater so our aquatic wildlife can thrive.”

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