Martin’s Pond, in Wollaton, is a popular spot for residents
Martin’s Pond following a second chemical spill three months(Image: Zafran Khan)
The Sheriff of Nottingham has expressed his worry after a second chemical spill at a popular pond, described as a ‘unique little gem’, in a city suburb.
Wollaton West councillor Zafran Khan, who also holds the sheriff role, explained the latest spill was first spotted on Friday, March 27, when the water at Martin’s Pond, located off Wollaton Road in Wollaton, appeared to be milky white.
Cllr Khan expressed his concerns as he said this is the second spill of the kind, with the first one taking place on Christmas Eve last year.
He said: “The water was white and the problem is there’s not much flow to disperse it. A lot of residents are concerned about the decolourisation of the water because it’s happened twice in a short period of time.
“We can’t find the source of the pollution. We’re also taking into consideration whether the person or company doing this might not realise what they’re doing.
“We’re hoping somebody somewhere will realise what they’re doing. We’re worried it could happen again and that’s the last thing we want.
“I’ve never seen anything like this – two acts of vandalism or pollution at a nature reserve. We’re worried about if this is something that’s going to be happening regularly.”
Cllr Khan added that the previous spill led to a significant number of dead fish.
Friends of Wollaton Nature Reserves chair Malcolm Carter described Martin’s Pond as a “unique little gem in the city where people come in the hundreds”.
He said: “From this pond, the water eventually goes into the River Leen. At Christmas Eve, we had dead fish – it was a really bad time but Severn Trent sorted that out over a period of time.
“It’s not good news for the pond or the wildlife in it. It’s very difficult to pinpoint where the pollution has come from.
“It’s a difficult job because Severn Trent would have to go look in each person’s access hole to trace where this has possibly come from.”
Cllr Khan explained that preventative measures, such as CCTV, could be installed in the area as a result of the two incidents.
The Environment Agency is now conducting an investigation into the latest spill and said water samples were collected from the pond.
A spokesperson said: “We attended this site shortly after we were alerted to the incident on Friday 27 March and took water samples to assess the environmental impact.
“We returned on Saturday to conduct further monitoring and are awaiting the results. Our investigations are on-going and we will not hesitate to take enforcement action if appropriate.
“Anyone who witnesses pollution or an environmental incident is encouraged to report it to us via our 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.”
It is understood that the incident on Christmas Eve was caused by a third party, although this hasn’t been traced.
A spokesperson for Severn Trent said: “We’re supporting the Environment Agency with their investigations into an incident at Martin’s Pond.
“Our priority is to help restore the pond back to normal and will be investigating our network to help identify the cause.
“There may be some intermittent road closures while our teams access the network on roads, but these will last hours rather than days. We’re sorry for the disruption this may cause.”
Martin’s Pond is a local nature reserve, which was the first to be designated in Nottingham in 1976 and was first documented in 1835.
Nottingham City Council described it as a “haven for wildlife” and said the pond is looked after by the Friends of Wollaton Local Nature Reserves in partnership with Nottingham City Council and the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.
