Locals have been left 'shocked' after numerous dead fish were spotted in a pond at Canford Park this week. The fish were spotted floating in the Westbury-on-Trym park, and a local councillor claims that last year Bristol City Council switched off a fountain designed to maintain the pond in order to save money.
However, the council has robustly denied this claim and says that there has never been a pump at the pond and that it it is instead served by a water tap, and by aerating plants which have been "vandalised, stolen and pulled out". It added that the pond has never been designed to keep fish and that many are "unwanted pets" which have been introduced into it "without permission".
Steve Smith, a Conservative councillor who represents the Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze ward, says he was told a different story by members of the council's parks department. He told Bristol Live: "I've spoken to the parks department team who look after it, and they've told me that this fountain was switched off because of the cost of running it.
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"And the Friends of Canford Park group are, so I'm told by the parks team, looking into being able to replace it or meet the cost of running it, which should then keep the pond aerated and in good condition."
But a spokesperson for the city council said: "The pond at Canford Park was not designed to be a fishpond and has never been managed by the parks service to support fish. Fish in the pond have been introduced without permission and are often unwanted pets.
“There has never been a pump at the pond. The fountain originally operated by having mains water pushed through it but this was halted by the utilities company in 2019 due to the risk of pond water flowing back into the fresh water supply.
"Instead a water tap serves the pond and to improve water quality we installed aerating water plants which have since been vandalised, stolen and pulled out. This may be another reason fish have died.
“Any dead fish are being removed, but without a licence we cannot rehome any fish already in the pond. We are topping up the water supply and working with a pond expert to provide an immediate solution for improving the water and keeping the pond as aerated.
"Over the longer term we plan to drain-down and re-establish the pond to encourage wildlife in line with the Ecological Emergency strategy, and this will require available funding. This would be in-keeping with the insect-friendly planting around the pond. We are also working with a pond expert to develop an action plan to improve the pond and make it more sustainable.
“We urge members of the public not to release fish into the pond, to keep their dogs out of the pond and refrain from damaging any measures put in place to improve the pond.”
There have been calls from some locals for the pond to be better maintained. Lis O'Kelly, who regularly goes for walks in the park, said she was "shocked" when she wandered past and saw the dead fish on Wednesday.
"I didn't count them all but there were quite a few and the water was filthy," she said. Lis says that the condition of the pond has worsened in recent years, which she thinks is a "shame".
"It has deteriorated and I can see that it's sort of not been maintained, which is really such a shame because it's beautiful there. You've got the rose garden there and it's full of kids all the time. My feeling is that it was just very sad."
The 60-year-old has a strong connection to the park, having gone there with her grandad as a child, while she celebrated her most recent birthday there. And she thinks that the council need to do a better job of maintaining it, such as by putting signs up encouraging people not to throw things in it.
"To have something where children are there, we need to give the right impression that it matters, that the environment matters. Of course people are going to throw litter and sticks in when it's been neglected, but when it's looked after people tend not to ruin it."
