Latest on battle to save fish in Pittville Lake
Janice Peacey, a Community Ranger from Cheltenham Borough Council brings us the latest in the efforts to save struggling fish in Pittville Lake.
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PICTURE: Fighting to save fish at Cheltenham lake
Thank goodness there isn't a hosepipe ban in Cheltenham where the Environment Agency hopes spraying fresh water into Pittville Lake will save some of its fish, which are dying in droves.
Staff have spent the night manning the pumps, trying to re-oxygenate the lake.
In the meantime, people and dogs are being warned to stay well away from the water for their own safety.
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Battling through the night to save fish in Cheltenham
Our staff have been at Pittville Lake #cheltenham all night oxygenating water to try to save fish. http://t.co/hm7PAx4yoi
Full report: Thousands of fish found dead in lake
Thousands of fish have died in a lake in Cheltenham in what the Environment Agency has described as a mass suffocation.
Pittville Lake is part of the town's largest ornamental park.
People are now being warned to stay away from the water.
Katie Rowlett reports:
PICTURE: Thousands of fish found dead in lake
Cheltenham Borough Council statement:
We know from tests that the oxygen levels in the lake had dropped considerably, so the Environment Agency is recirculating water into the lake in an effort to stabilize oxygen levels.
Low oxygen levels could be due to a number of factors linked to environmental conditions such as decomposing algae or sediment stirred up by recent storms.
– Janice Peacey, Community RangerThe surviving fish now have areas which are oxygenated and we will continue to work with the Environment Agency to make sure that oxygen levels stay at the required level.
Although tests for blue-green algae have returned negative, we would still like to remind people that there is no fishing on the lake until further notice to allow for the clean-up operation."
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Possible causes for low oxygen in lake
The Environment Agency said the low oxygen level in Pittville Lake could be algal bloom or sediment stirred up by rain, or both.
PICTURE: Dead fish in Cheltenham lake
'Significant' number of dead fish in Cheltenham lake
The Environment Agency has reported a significant number of fish have died in Pittville Lake in Cheltenham.
They said it is due low oxygen and are trying to save as many as possible.
South West's bathing water to be tested
Tests to show how clean bathing waters are in the South West start today.
The Environment Agency will be taking samples and telling people where is safe to swim. Last year 98 per cent of beaches in our region reached current standards.
The Agency will be taking samples from today until the end of September.
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