Fish killed by Christmas dinner fat washed down sinks - Surrey Fishing News UK

Fish killed by Christmas dinner fat washed down sinks

By John Ellul
January 03, 2012

MORE than 100 baby fish were killed when fat washed down sinks after Christmas dinners blocked a sewer in Guildford and polluted a pond.

The fish died at Brittons Pond, off Salt Box Road in Jacobs Well, just days after Thames Water had issued a seasonal song urging people to remember to dispose of excess Christmas food in the correct way to prevent mishaps of this nature.

Thames Water officers were called out last Tuesday (December 27) and managed to clear the blockage within an hour, preventing the pollution from spreading further. They then installed equipment to aerate the water.

The damage, however, had already been done. Dissolved oxygen levels in the pond had dropped as low as 7%, compared with the normal 75%, making it impossible for the fish, all of which were roach, to survive.

Mark Handcock, Thames Water’s lab and sampling manager, said: “Any incident which kills wildlife is always very sad and this is a vivid example of the consequences of sewer abuse – putting anything other than human waste, water and loo roll down drains.

“We always see a dramatic increase in the number of blockages after Christmas because everyone is cooking roast turkeys and pouring the left-over fat down the drain which spills into our cold sewers and forms hideous 'fatbergs'.

“These block the network and cause sewage to back up into people’s homes and gardens, or into rivers and ponds.”

Owned by Surrey County Council and managed under lease by Surrey Wildlife Trust, Brittons Pond is a five-and-a-half acre fishery set up to 4ft deep in places. Its main attractions include three feature islands, as well as a range of fish including carp, perch, roach and rudd.

Neil Crane, fisheries officer for the Guildford Angling Society, which uses the pond, said it was important that Thames Water had identified and tackled the problem so quickly.

“It sounds quite serious, but it’s good that they got it," he said

via getsurrey.co.uk

THE DAILY CATCH http://fishingnews.posterous.com/fish-killed-by-christmas-dinner-fat-washed-do Fish killed by Christmas dinner fat washed down sinks By John Ellul January 03, 2012 MORE than 100 baby fish were killed when fat washed down sinks after Christmas dinners blocked a sewer in Guildford and polluted a pond. The fish died at Brittons Pond, off Salt Box Road in Jacobs Well, just days af ...