Hopes community can help save Falmer Pond near Brighton

Falmer Pond in East Street, Falmer, has been dwindling over the last month and has now been reduced to the size of a "shallow puddle".

Brighton and Hove City Council has not taken action to save dozens of carp in the pond but is hoping to restore it by removing silt in the bottom and fixing leaks.

Matt Thompsett, from Falmer, has organised for people to meet this Sunday at 4pm to discuss how people can help the ancient Saxon pond maintain its water level in future years.

The water level of the pond has dropped in the hot weather

The 64-year-old said: "The council are absolutely right, the fish are not indigenous to the pond. They have been introduced.

"But at the end of the day they are creatures that deserve better treatment.

"It's not their fault they were put in there.

"We need to build up the eco-system so there are lots of margin plants, reeds, willow plants. Nature will then establish its own balance.

"Ideally, it will help provide shade to reduce evaporation and plants that can help oxygenate the water and shade out the algae so there is less build up of that.

The council plans to remove silt and fix leaks in the pond in the future

"There is a lot of expertise around at the universities, the South Downs National Park and the council. We can tap into that.

"I'm hoping people can turn up on Sunday and offer that. It might just be me and my dog. 

"Hopefully we can come up with a plan over several years to replant in the area."

On Thursday, a group saved three carp from the pond and has plans to save more.

Yesterday, The Argus reported on the Falmer fish disaster which has seen dozens of carp dying in the pond.

A city council spokesman said: “We appreciate that many residents are upset about ponds in our city drying up at the moment and causing fish to die. 

Falmer Pond on Saturday, August 6. Picture by Kristina Voyce  

 “Ultimately the problem is due to the hot, dry weather we’ve had. This is a national and indeed international problem caused by climate change. 

 “Our ponds are not designed for fish. Like many ponds in the city, Falmer Pond is not fed by a stream but by runoff from the surrounding area so in times of drought they will inevitably dry out.  

 “There should be no fish in the ponds in our parks for precisely these reasons. The only reason they are there is because some people release their unwanted fish into them.  

 “We would emphasise that people should never do this. 

 “In the long term our ponds will almost certainly fill up again when the rain returns.  

 “Given the current serious concerns about water supply we cannot refill the ponds. In any case filling the pond with tap water would cause further algal bloom that would further remove oxygen and thus kill the fish. 

 “Moving the fish at short notice is extremely difficult because of national disease testing regulations. 

 “We will be putting signs up at Falmer pond discouraging people from dumping their fish in there."