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Carshalton ponds drain for second time this year

Jessica UreLondon
BBC The upper pond at Carshalton reduced to mud and shallow puddles, with gulls gathered on the remaining waterBBC
Only a few centimetres of water were left in the ponds after recent rain

Birds have had to be rescued from ponds in south London after the water drained away for the second time this year.

The ponds in Carshalton, a well-known local beauty spot and a source of the River Wandle, were completely dry last week, and after recent rain only mud and a few centimetres of water remain.

Sutton Council, which emptied the upper pond in July to repair a leak, said the drought was only part of the problem and it had brought in specialists to find out what had gone wrong.

Vuki Popovic, a volunteer at The Swan Sanctuary, said the conditions were dangerous for wildlife.

Yuki Popovic in a dark jacket with a Swan Sanctuary badge speaks in front of the drained pond
Yuki Popovic said falling water levels could leave swans unable to take off

"Low water levels and stagnant water can produce certain toxins," Popovic said. "It's more prone in the summer, but it's not limited to then.

"Here again we're having fluctuating levels which are leading to birds potentially being stranded, swans not being able to take off."

Juliet Rains, who visits the ponds to feed the ducks, said she noticed the problem while driving past.

"I thought, wow, the water levels are really low," she said. "Generally the water level can be really high around here."

The ponds are fed by natural springs through a network of pipes and were lined with concrete in 1968.

Jake Short, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Carshalton Central, said the water company would normally pump water into the ponds during dry spells.

"When there's periods of low rain as we've had over the summer, the water company will pump water back to help top up the ponds," he said.

"Obviously with the drought we've had recently that isn't possible."

The Environment Agency says south London remains in drought, one level below its most serious category.

In July, contractors carried out repairs to a leaking section of the upper pond's edge, with SES Water due to refill it once the work was finished.

Spencer Palmer, strategic director at Sutton Council, said the drought alone did not explain how low the water had dropped.

"Clearly there's more going on than just the lack of water supply," he said.

"So that's what we're investigating now as the council to find out what the problems are and to find a longer term solution."

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