Solihull ‘blue lagoon’ investigation underway as beauty spot polluted


Pollution spilling out from a drain and making its way to a picturesque Solihull lake is causing concerns.
A councillor has said a stream is “like the blue lagoon” and authorities need to work out the source of the spillage quickly. The Environment Agency, Severn Trent Water (STW) and Solihull Council have all been notified after the spillage which began at the weekend at Hillfield Park in Monkspath.
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Hide AdBlythe Councillor Ken Hawkins said: “I went down (with Councillor Keith Green) after residents alerted us. We need to identify the source, where the pollution is from. It is substantial, like the blue lagoon.”


The councillor said the pollution is coming out of a drain, making its way through a brook which feeds into the lake. Pictures the councillor has shared show the water is not clear as it should be, due to the unknown substance which is a light blue colour.
“I have lived there 40 years – I have never seen it like this,” Coun Hawkins said. “There has been no rain as well to wash it through. We took a sample. We need to identify what the liquid is, whether it is toxic.
“There are fish, ducklings around, it is a heronry as well. 18 months ago we spent a lot of money dredging that lake, making it more sustainable. It is clearly someone’s fault – I want to know who did this.”
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Hide AdThe lake is at the two acre Hillfield Nature Reserve which has a Green Flag award – the benchmark international standard for publicly accessible parks. A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We are aware of a possible pollution incident in a watercourse in the Monkspath area of Solihull and are working with Severn Trent Water to investigate the incident. Anyone can report a pollution incident to our hotline on 0800 80 70 60.”
A Solihull Council spokesperson added: “We’re aware of the reports of pollution in Hillfield Park which our partners at the Environment Agency and Severn Trent Water (STW) are investigating.” STW was contacted for comment.
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