Fishing community at Corby Boating Lake remains resolute amid latest mystery pollution incident

Earlier this week an oily film was discovered on top of the lake in Cottingham Road.

It’s not the first time this has happened.

Regular users of the lake reported it, and North Northamptonshire Council sent out a contractor to try to clean some of it up. Booms and oil-absorbent pads were placed across the surface of the water.

But some anglers say the solution is not the correct approach. They think that the substance should be tested before it is cleaned, and say it is diesel, not oil as the council previously said on their social media.

Not all the men who fish in the lake agree on what the substance is or how it should be dealt with. Some think a filtration pump should be put in place. Others say the booms are in the wrong location and are not working.

But when our reporter went out to look at the state of the lake yesterday (Thursday), what was clear is that despite their difference of opinion over the cause of the spill, the real guardians of the boating lake are not the council or the Environment Agency, but the anglers, and the community that surrounds them.

They’ve been brought together by what they say is a period of neglect by the authorities who own and manage the area.

Improvements to the lake, including concrete jetties, were paid for by a pot of money that the anglers all put into.

Those same men regularly pull on their waders and go out in boats to pull out discarded fishing line and rubbish that has accumulated in the water.

The two bailiffs are volunteers, and they and other people – working for free – care for the wildlife.

They have to pay £35 each year for their fishing licence to the Environment Agency, with national receipts totalling £20m. But they don’t believe that represents value for money, with the men saying the agency is ‘not interested’ in pollution incidents that happen there.

All the men are happy to talk about the joy the boating lake brings them. In fact, their mutual gripes about its stewardship have brought them closer together.

Colin, who has brought some juicy-looking prawns as bait for the fish, says the lake saved his life.

"I went through a bad period of depression last year,” he said.

"The doctors were just offering me anti-depressants I came here by chance and someone told me to get a rod and I started fishing and it really saved me.

"It turned my life around. It gave me a purpose.

"Fishing clears your mind. It’s an alternative to medication.”

He says that it’s troubling that someone might have polluted the lake on purpose.

"We don’t know whether it’s come down the from the brook or whether it’s been put in deliberately,” he said.

"We’ve not had any dead fish yet, but it might be a while before it affects them.”

Sean was at the lake on Monday when the pollution was at its worst. He regularly comes over to the lake from Kettering.

"It stunk,” he says. "There was a terrible smell on Monday.

"You could see the film right across the water.”

He says that the lake brings families together and helps keep young people out of trouble.

“This is a little Oasis in Corby. I’d give anything to have something like this in Kettering.

"The volunteers here pick up bags and bags of rubbish that get chucked around.

"All the chaps here come and talk about our health and other things going on in our lives.”

He said he is concerned about the impact of the spillage on the wildlife.

“If you look, all the birds have gone up the other end of the lake,” he says. “They’re usually down here.”

Sean is a big advocate of angling and thinks that youngsters should be encouraged to come down to the lake and take up the sport.

"I’d like to get them involved,” he said.

"If they came here and joined in then maybe, just maybe, when they’re older and fixing up cars like we all used to do, they’ll think twice about pouring that petrol down the drain because this is where it ends up.

A few years ago there was a fairly major incident during which the entire lake looked like an oil slick. At that time, the local police went to the Beanfield estate and found people who had been working on a number of cars had been pouring oil down the drains which had been flowing down the brook into the lake.

But not everyone agrees that the incident comes from the same source. Terry, who competes in fishing matches, says the fish at Corby boating lake are the best around, because of the depth of the lake and the plentiful supply of bloodworms in the deepest part of the water.

He believes the diesel could be run-off from Cottingham Road.

"It’s not as bad as the one we had the other year,” he says. “That was awful.”

He says otters have recently arrived in the lake and that a team of volunteers is responsible for keeping it looking nice.

"We go out as a group and de-snag the lines in there."

Terry thinks that the pollution is likely run-off from Cottingham Road caused by the recent bad weather and thinks it will disperse.

Ivan used to work at the lake for Corby Council but now volunteers there.

He is upset that the authorities are not interested in the state of the lake.

"All the anglers put money in a pot and we have spent money on aeration and compressors to stop the algae bloom in summer.

"We pay the Environmnent Agency £35 each a year for our licences. It’s £20m per year that they get from anglers. We’re not sure where it all goes – probably flood defences elsewhere.”

A North Northamptonshire Council spokeswoman said: “The council are currently working with a specialist aquatic contractor to contain and clear up an oil dump into Corby Boating Lake.

“At this stage, we do not know where exactly the pollution has come from, but early signs suggest it may have entered the watercourse upstream, and the smell and appearance strongly suggest that the pollutant is diesel or similar.

“Currently, no dead fish have been found, and the current level of pollution is not thought to pose an immediate risk to fish or wildlife. We would like to reassure residents that there is no risk to humans. We are asking that dogs are not allowed to drink from the water, anyone who encounters the water washes their hands and people do not touch or move the absorbent pads or booms in the lake.

“Contractors will check the site every day over the next few days to see whether any new oil enters the lake. The absorbent pads will stay in place until no further contamination and will then be safely removed.

“The booms will remain in place for 4 to 6 weeks as a precaution, after which they will be replaced to help protect against any further pollution. Once everything has stabilised, all equipment will be removed and safely disposed of.

“We will share further updates as more information becomes available.”