Firefighters replenish Hadley Green pond after fish deaths

Firefighters from the London Fire Brigade have intervened to replenish Hadley Green Brewery Pond, adding mains water to combat critically low levels. The action followed the discovery of more than a dozen dead carp, believed to have suffocated due to a lack of dissolved oxygen in the water.

Harriet Duffield, Barnet Council's biodiversity and conservation officer, confirmed that the fire brigade pumped water from the mains to refill the pond. Residents had appealed for assistance after the fish deaths were noted. While some carp are reported to have survived, it is hoped the added water and recent rainfall will improve water quality.

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Future aeration plans

Barnet Council and the Environment Agency are to consider further measures to increase the dissolved oxygen levels in the pond. Potential options to be discussed include the addition of chemicals or the use of an aeration pump. Ms Duffield noted that such issues may become more frequent with increasingly hot and dry summers.

Concerns over Totteridge Long Pond

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Similar concerns have been raised regarding Totteridge Long Pond, where low water levels have also resulted in dead fish. Fishing has been suspended at this pond, which is regularly stocked with species including carp, roach, and tench. Members of the Millridge Angling Club have expressed increasing worry over the situation.

The water level in Hadley Green Brewery Pond had not fully recovered from a large fire in May last year, which saw the fire brigade draw a significant amount of water. The prolonged dry spell this summer reduced the level to its lowest point since the 1976 drought, when fish had to be relocated.

Local anglers have praised the fire brigade's prompt action in assisting the Brewery Pond. They hope that measures can be put in place to prevent similar incidents in the future.