Pond fish to get help after council is accused of letting them suffocate

The council has taken significant steps to address the issues - after about 70 fish died

A pond full of fish - dozens of which have now died - will get a new aeration system after Cornwall Council was accused of allowing them to suffocate.

Local woman Bonita Boulkham has been visiting the closed-down Heartlands attraction, in Pool, daily in an attempt to help fish she said have been "slowly suffocating" for three months survive.

It comes after the once-thriving site, a cultural and mining heritage centre, closed down permanently in January 2024 and was left in limbo. Cornwall Council, which owns the site, then took back control and responsibility for the grounds after the Heartlands Trust ended its agreement.

The local authority confirmed earlier this year that it is working to finalise a 30-year lease for Heartlands site to be taken over by the National Trust, which is planned to be completed by the end of this summer.

But as negotiations continue, Ms Boulkham said the pond, which was originally intended as a water feature only, with the fish added by others without permission at a later date, according to Cornwall Council, is suffering from green water, sludge and algae problems, as well as a bad smell which she says has been developing since early August.

"At bare minimum, the fish are in desperate need of the treatment feed being mended as soon as possible to clear the water to alleviate the suffering of the fish that are in there and some oxygenating plants which should be secured so that they are not stolen," she told CornwallLive earlier this month.

Cornwall Council has, however, responded to her claims on Monday (August 17), saying that it has been monitoring water levels daily and has also serviced the pump. The local authority said it was only aware the pump had become blocked on Monday - the same day CornwallLive contacted it about the issue - and that it has since been cleared.

It acknowledged that while "some" fish died over the weekend, no further fish were found dead after the visit and that an ecologist will further visit the site to assess and advise on further measures, as well as the council planning to install an aeration system to maintain oxygen levels.

Prior to this statement, Ms Boulkham said it was "utter cruelty" what was happening to the fish, which cannot be rehomed due to risks with relocating fish stock. She said: "[It] goes against their Biodiversity Policies, the pond contains lots of fish, but also dragonflies breed on site, even though reeds are scarce, pond skaters too, swifts and swallows and many other birds dip in to drink, and bats at night."

Locals also contacted CornwallLive to say they had seen her at the site, singlehandedly trying to save the fish in the "sad state of affairs". Ms Boulkham says that around 70 fish had suffocated to death by Friday (August 14) afternoon with several more on Saturday.

"The only thing I could do was try and keep them alive by agitating the water in the pond with my long-handled broom until Monday when everyone got back to their offices," she said. "They contradicted their own policies and failed to prevent an avoidable act of cruelty and neglect".

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said: "We understand the concern about the fish at Heartlands and are taking action to address the condition of the pond.

"Cornwall Council has maintained the public areas at Heartlands since the Heartlands Trust ceased managing the site in 2024. The pond was originally created as a water feature, and fish were subsequently introduced without the knowledge of the trust or the council.

"Over the summer we've been monitoring water levels daily and topping up the pond when needed. The pump has also been serviced, but when our contractors visited on Monday, they found it had become blocked and cleared it.

"We understand that some fish may have died over the weekend. No further dead fish were found during Monday's inspection. We are unable to rehome the remaining fish because of the risks associated with moving fish stocks.

"An ecologist is due to visit the site today to assess and advise on further measures to support the wildlife. We will be installing an aeration system to maintain oxygen levels.

"We know that people want to help, but we ask visitors not to add plants, treatments, or other items to the pond which could have unintended consequences.

"The pond is not suitable for swimming and signs are in place asking people not to enter the water. We are also continuing discussions with the National Trust about the future management of the site. "

Perran Moon, MP for Camborne and Redruth said he has visited Heartlands personally to assess the situation with the pond and that he will follow up to ensure necessary changes are made. He said: "The long term health of the fish is dependent largely on two things being added to the pond: 1. An aerator 2. Natural food sources.

"On the aerator, the contractor Lorne Stewart has already asked for a quote and, immediately after my visit to the pond, I held a meeting with the CEO of Cornwall Council (which is still responsible for the site until late this year) to appraise her of the situation and I have asked her to expedite the aerator as soon as possible. I WILL follow this up in coming days.

"On the natural food sources, pond fish generally eat plankton, algae, aquatic insects, mosquito larvae, worms, small and decaying organic matter that comes from pond plants. I will speak with the National Trust again but we need to have some water lillies and rushes etc (I'm no expert in the specific types of plant, so will seek advice) replanted, after the previous ones were stolen."