The Friends of West Park have spent many weeks cleaning the lakes of stinking algae for the benefit of the public and the environment.
They were making great progress and had the support of the Town Council who deployed staff to remove the mess retrieved from the water bottom and surface.
However based on a recommendation from the Council Environment Officer the group have been asked to stop work as they are apparently stopping the reproduction of insects and other wildlife.
The question to be asked is what is the purpose of the lake? Is it for pleasure and recreation or to sustain wildlife? The lakes are man-made and were provided for boating, paddling etc and as a pleasant feature in a public park.
It doesn’t seem logical to provide a public park which also encourages insects like midgies bothering people.It is counter productive  to have a nature pond in the same location as an amenity enjoyed by the general public.
The town has other locations for nature study and the protection of wildlife, and these are found at the Angling Pond, the Nature Park near the Blue Bridge and a new pond at Cobblers Hall.
There is a public outcry in support of the Friends of West Park who have worked extremely hard to return the lakes to their former glory.There is also great resentment for the letter sent by the Town Clerk.
It appears it was sent without authorisation from a meeting of the Council and there is fierce opposition to the Environment Officer’s stance on this issue and we can expect a lively meeting of the council when it is discussed in September.