Vital repairs to Worthing lake almost completed

The lake stands bare after it was drained by the council for vital repair works PHOTO: Eddie Mitchell SUS-151006-115036001

Adur and Worthing councils have been draining the town’s beauty spot in order to begin the much-needed repair works.

This week has seen a large digger operating at the lake, scraping away at the embankments of the stream.

It’s anticipated that the work will be completed before the end in a matter of days – despite previous delays.

A spokeswoman for Adur & Worthing councils said: “Engineers working on Brooklands pond are on schedule and confident the pond will be ready to be re-stocked this weekend, refreshed, and back to its normal state by the beginning of next week.

“Although, they will then be attending to a tidy up of the area and minor works in the car park for a couple of days.”

The authorities explained that the water level needed to be lowered in the lake to allow the repairs to take place.

However, reassuring the public, councillor Clive Roberts, cabinet member for the environment at Worthing Borough Council, said that the change in water levels would not have an impact on local wildlife using the lake.

Contractors work to re-enforce the banks of the stream SUS-151006-115048001

He said: “The lower water levels won’t pose an issue to any other wildlife around the lake and once the works are fully completed – hopefully by the end of June – we will refill the lake fully.”

It comes after council contractors were forced to suspend the repair works last month due to a nesting coot residing close to the lake.

On this occasion, Mr Roberts explained that the operation could not begin until the coots had hatched.

He said that as the work would have created some noise and disruption in the local area, by law, the authority was not allowed to move or disturb the nesting birds.

“We simply have to wait for the chicks to hatch,” he said at that time.

Brooklands Lake has recently been the scene of a police investigation.

In April, police descended on the open space as part of the murder investigation into Lancing man Mark Manning.

Officers combed the lake and parkland area after a tip-off from the public.

The investigation is still on-going into the 54-year-old suspected murder. He was last seen on April 19, 2014.