Residents shocked as ‘hundreds of fish’ die at pond and water gardens in West Sussex

Shocked residents shared photos this week that show dead fish in the water as well as council signs warning of contamination.

One reader said: “On Saturday I was walking around Ifield's Mill Pond and came across two large dead fish floating in the pond. Some people at the pond told me that they had seen a lot more dead fish in the water that day. There is a strong smell of sewerage.”

An Ifield Society spokesperson said: “This morning (Saturday September 23), we were shocked to witness two dead fish and a polluted/contaminated brook within Bewbush Water Gardens. As a matter of urgency, we will be demanding action from the Crawley Borough Council – such as prioritising the proposed Local Nature Reserve and Heritage Site. This is an ecological disaster waiting to happen.”

Richard W. Symonds, of the Ifield Society, added on Tuesday, September 26: “Crawley Borough Council and Horsham District Council are now called upon to declare an Ecological Emergency and implement a Joint Area Action Plan (JAAP) to make the whole area a Local Nature Reserve.”

Crawley Borough Council said they were made aware of possible pollution at Bewbush Water Gardens late last week and sent staff to investigate. A council spokesperson said: “At the same time we were contacted by the Environment Agency, who confirmed that there has been a contamination of the top area of the pond and this has caused a number of fish to die. They had staff on site to investigate, monitor and make arrangements for the clear up.

“They have been dealing with the investigation into who was responsible for causing the contamination and are arranging for aeration within the pond to reoxygenate the water to prevent further fish from dying. We are arranging the removal of the dead fish.”

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “Our officers have visited the site and taken positive action to prevent further impacts to water quality. Our investigations into this incident are ongoing. We thank the members of the public who reported this fish kill to us via our 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 807060.”

The Environment Agency added that Bewbush Water Gardens and the Mill Pond are owned by Crawley Borough Council while the Mill Pond is leased to Crawley Angling Society. They also said their officers have taken water samples and advised the local authority on fish removal, adding that aeration equipment is being deployed to limit further environmental impacts.