3 weeks Ago
Residents have accused the council of "shameful neglect" after a damaged pipe led to a pond full of wildlife drying up. But Brighton and Hove City Council said it was "confident" amphibians had not died and was working to fix the issue. The pond by the Rotunda Café in Preston Park, Brighton, is typically full of water and is home to a range of aquatic creatures.
READ MORE: Company boss stole £150,000 in Covid support funds However, last week residents noticed that the pond had become dry, leading to public outcry. Brighton resident Bill Hicks shared his anger after discovering the pond empty. He said: "The council has shamefully allowed the ornamental pond by the Rotunda Cafe in Preston Park to dry out.
“This pond was home to many newts and other amphibians. There were also a lot of tadpoles in it this year. All left to die due to shameful council neglect.
“This is further inexcusable negligence from the council's parks department.” But the council said experts were "confident" that no wildlife had died. The empty pond in Preston Park (Image: Supplied) Another resident added: The pond, which has been visited by families for generations, is nearly all mud now.
I visited the pond the other day and others like me were coming to see the wildlife - tadpoles and newts - that are famous in the area. “The pond is now mostly mud. There is a shallow area of clear water on one side, possibly one inch deep with a few tiny tadpoles.
“I spoke to a mother who was visiting with her children. She had come when she was a child and was very sad to see the state of the pond. There are decorative taps all around the pond but no water being put in.
” Councillor Alan Robins, Cabinet member for Sports and Recreation, reassured the public that the issue was being dealt with. He said: “We are aware of problems on this site, which have been caused by a damaged pipe leading to water loss and silt building up. “Repair work will be carried out in the next few weeks, with the pond cleared by hand before being repaired and refilled.
“Our experts are confident any amphibians will have moved to the wildlife pond to the north of the park and may return to the pond once the work has been carried out, but we do understand people’s concern and would like to reassure residents we are monitoring the situation.”.
