Riddle as Solihull lake turns into 'blue lagoon' amid pollution fear

Environment Agency bosses are examining the cause of a suspected leak that has turned a lake in a park into a "blue lagoon". The agency, Severn Trent Water and Solihull Council were all notified after the change of colour at Hillfield Park in Monkspath last weekend.

Blythe councillor Ken Hawkins said: “I went down with Coun Keith Green after residents alerted us. We need to identify the source, where the pollution is from. It is substantial, like the blue lagoon.”

The councillor said the issue appeared to steam from a drain and through a brook which feeds into the lake. Pictures he shared showed the water was not clear as it should be, due to an unknown substance which was a light blue colour.

READ MORE: Applicant behind approved Shirley apartment block returns with revised plans

“I have lived there 40 years - I have never seen it like this,” Coun Hawkins said. “There has been no rain as well to wash it through. We took a sample.

“We need to identify what the liquid is, whether it is toxic. There are fish, ducklings around, it is a heronry as well.

“Eighteen months ago we spent a lot of money dredging that lake, making it more sustainable. It is clearly someone's fault - I want to know who did this.”

The two-acre Hillfield Nature Reserve has a Green Flag award, the benchmark international standard for publicly accessible parks. A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We are aware of a possible pollution incident in a watercourse in the Monkspath area of Solihull and are working with Severn Trent Water to investigate the incident. Anyone can report a pollution incident to our hotline on 0800 80 70 60.”

A Solihull Council spokesperson added: “We’re aware of the reports of pollution in Hillfield Park which our partners at the Environment Agency and Severn Trent Water are investigating.” Severn Trent was contacted for comment.

Enter our £1,000 Aldi voucher giveaway and go wild in the aisles

For more stories from across Solihull including BHX, breaking news, politics and what's on, sign up to our MySolihull newsletter