Canvey Island residents warned to keep away from toxic lake

People have been warned to keep away from a "toxic" lake after dead fish were found on its surface.

Algal bloom on Canvey Lake, on Canvey Island in Essex. had deprived it of oxygen killing wildlife.

The lake's leaseholder, Canvey Town Council, said the toxic lake posed a risk to public health.

Two aerators paid for with £11,000 crowdfunded from residents had been placed in the water as a temporary measure to help preserve the wildlife.

Rob Turner, a resident who set up the fundraising effort, said the longer-term solution was to dredge the lake of silt which had built up leaving just a foot of water.

The lake was created 40 years ago as a flood defence mechanism to hold water, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Mr Turner said it was imperative the issue was resolved - not just from a public health perspective, but to ensure there was enough capacity in the lake to mitigate flooding risks.

"Where we had six feet of water, where the fish are quite happy, we now have around a foot of water and five feet of silt.

"From a flood defence point of view if there was a sudden surge I don't think that system will work."

He said the aerators seemed to have stopped the fish dying but called on the Environment Agency to address how to dredge the lake.

The Environment Agency has been approached for a response.

Canvey Town Council said it had been removing dead animals, including birds, from the water on a daily basis.

It was also working with organisations including the Environment Agency, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Suffolk-based Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.

The council added it was trying to find a "long-term solution" to the lake's problems, as the removal of the silt had been previously investigated by a multi-agency group, but this was not deemed as a viable option due to the high costs involved in dredging regularly.

The council said it had already spent 15% of its 2022-23 budget on running Canvey Lake.

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