Harrow Lodge Park ‘It won’t be winning any green flag awards this year’.

Dead fish and litter blighting the lake at the Hornchurch park.

Shocking pictures of Harrow Lodge Park have shown the lake covered in litter and sadly over two hundred dead fish left floating.

Harrow Lodge Park is a very popular park for local residents including many daily dog walkers, runners and families coming to the play area with their children. However, residents are now shocked to find the appalling conditions the park is in.

The lake is covered in litter and dead fish are floating on the surface. Birds and ducks are seen sitting amongst endless rubbish thrown in the lake by dirty people.

One local park user Tom from Hornhurch told the Havering Daily: “It is disgusting to see the park in this condition. This is one of the most popular parks in the borough and now people are unhappy to use it because of the conditions it is in. It is really sad to see the state of our lake, all the dead fish left floating on the top like that and the poor birds and ducks sitting amongst piles of rubbish.

“It definitely won’t win any green flags this year.”

Councillor Paul Middleton, Cabinet Member for Parks told the Havering Daily: “

 “I received reports of dead fish in Harrow Lodge Lake recently, before I could raise the issue with the council parks and environment team, I received the following update (post an enquiry from Cllr Mugglestone)

We were made aware of the issue yesterday and a Ranger attended the site with a couple of pumps to assist with oxygen levels within the lake. I suspect that the recent drought conditions has caused a build-up of various nasties within storm drains and then the recent rain has flushed it out into the River and hence the lake. 

I investigated the situation further to see if this is a common issue and to see if there was anything the council could have done in order to avoid this. 

I found the following report from the Environmental Protection Commission (EPC)

Fish kill: A sudden appearance of dead fish in a lake or pond causes considerable concern and alarm for most people. The first reaction is to suspect someone of poisoning the water body. Rarely are fish kills the result of spills or illegal discharges of toxic substances. Fish kills usually result from too little oxygen in the water. The EPC receives 20 – 30 fish kill reports each year. Most fish kills result from natural events, however, human activities can influence their frequency and severity. For a dissolved oxygen or DO-related fish kill to occur, several environmental conditions often happen at the same time. Weather patterns, water temperature, water depth, amount and type of plant growth, and fish community structure are all factors that can trigger a fish kill. Lakes, ponds, and canals located in residential areas are particularly vulnerable to DO-related fish kills. Developed areas create runoff that can contain nutrients from septic tanks, streets, pets, and lawn chemicals. These enter water bodies and cause water quality problems. High levels of nutrients from fertilizers applied to lawns, golf courses, and farms can cause aquatic plants to thrive. Ponds with high nutrient levels can produce dense blooms of microscopic plants called algae. When sunlight is available, algae use nutrients and produce oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. Most oxygen available to fish comes from algae. At night, or during times of cloudy weather, a lack of sunlight causes algae to switch from photosynthesis (producing oxygen) to respiration (consuming oxygen). In acute conditions, algae can consume virtually all ofthe dissolved oxygen (anoxia) causing fish to suffocate. Additionally, prolonged events of low DO (hypoxia) can cause fish to become stressed and susceptible to viral or bacterial infections.

I have asked the parks team to monitor the situation and to keep me updated. 

On a more positive note, the sculpting/restructuring of the lake is almost finished, the lake has been dredged. New areas for wildlife have been created. I hope that the silt removal will make a positive difference. 

The Hornchurch Sports Centre is bouncing back from the Covid pandemic and is making a positive contribution to the area. If you have not seen it, I urge people to visit. 

The Cricketers are approaching the end of their season, they recently agreed on a few small changes to make the area safer where they park. 

The Café/Restaurant in Harrow Lodge Park is well run and a beautiful place to visit.”