Council bosses have been forced to defend themselves after more than 100 dead fish were found in a pond in a Chesham park.

Facebook user Cleo D posted a photo of the fish, believed to be mostly roach, which were seen floating in Skottowes Pond in Lowndes Park on June 14.

She wrote: “They had suffocated due to the fountain not being on since September 2020. Putting on the fountain, especially during the hot weather, would have helped to oxygenate the water.

“The fish could not be left to decompose and contaminate the water quality further.

“They were collected and presented to the park’s manager. It was distressing to see.”

She added: “Lowndes Park draws visitors into Chesham, it’s an asset to this town.

“The pond could and should be the jewel of the park.”

The post prompted fury on social media, with one resident writing: “This is animal cruelty,” while another commented: “How sad, unnecessary cruelty.”

And another wrote: “Please do not restock unless there is a capable pond keeper there daily to check on them. Cruelty at its worst.”

Cleo told the Bucks Free Press she has contacted the National Lottery community funding about the “many issues Skottowes pond has”.

She added: “I really hope good will come from this distressing situation that has become a yearly problem.”

In a statement, Chesham Town Council said it is “actively trying to find solutions to prevent future fish deaths” in Skottowes Pond, and the deaths are thought to be caused by a severe drop in oxygen levels due to the recent hot weather.

A spokesman added: “A number of factors will have contributed to the oxygen crash, and unfortunately, none of them are simple or quick to resolve.

“A professional survey of Skottowes Pond undertaken in 2013 showed that the pond contained 4,400 tonnes of silt. The silt is contaminated as a proportion of it has entered the pond from rain run-off from nearby busy roads, such as St. Mary’s Way.

“The relatively large waterfowl population using the pond means that there is a high level of input of organic matter from their excrement, increasing ammonia levels in the water as it decomposes. This significantly contributes to a drop in oxygen levels in hot weather.”

The council said the estimated cost of silt removal in 2013 was over £162,000 and the cost will have gone up since that time.

The spokesman continued: “Various methods have been tried to deter the high numbers of geese that visit the pond, but they have not been successful.

“The council does not wish to resort to lethal control, as this would be unpopular with many residents and is also unlikely to permanently reduce the population.

“Preventing road run-off from entering the pond, or removing pollutants from the runoff before it enters the pond present their own engineering challenges.”

The spokesman added that criticism had been levelled at the council for not having the fountain in the pond on continuously, saying: “Whilst the fountain does provide some level of oxygenation, it would not have been sufficient to prevent the fish deaths owing to the large volume of water in the pond.

“The fountain does not oxygenate and then circulate the existing water round the pond, rather it is pumping water into the pond from the local aquifer.

“The Environment Agency has set a strict limit on the amount of water that can be taken from the aquifer by the fountain.

“Furthermore, the level of the pond is currently high, and the fountain must be switched off at times to prevent the pond from flooding the surrounding area.”

It also warned against climate change, adding: “Whilst there are no quick fixes, climate change means it is increasingly likely that we will experience the sort of high temperatures that cause oxygen crashes in the pond.

“The council is seeking the advice of experts to identify the most appropriate aerating devices for the pond, along with other measures to help improve the conditions in the pond.”