HAILSHAM Town Council will be implementing a number of safety measures after tests showed potentially high contamination readings in some local streams and ponds.
The tests were carried out throughout June by Dr. Stephen Hall who was appointed by District Councillor Neil Cleaver, after concerns raised by residents over sewage in key points around the town.
Water samples were taken from sites such as the Common Pond, Marshfoot Lane, Hailsham Country Park and locations in Hellingly.
The results showed high e-coli levels at The Common Pond, Lower Horsebridge Scout Hut and tests from the Country Park on Gleneagles Drive were ’too numerous to count (TNTC)’.
These were presented by Dr Hall at a recent Town Council Assets meeting, and committee members raised huge concerns about the readings on the land owned by the Town Council (Common Pond and Hailsham Country Park).
As a result, the council agreed to place a message on its social media pages and website as a matter of urgency to discourage residents from swimming and fishing at the two locations.
It will also commission ‘No Swimming’ signs to be erected and installed at the ponds.
The tests presented to the council were not conclusive and were not conducted by a fully-qualified professional, but they gave an indication of the apparent e-coli levels in the area.
It was also proposed at the meeting to hire a qualified professional to obtain more results to find out the true situation. This will have to be approved by Full Council at its next meeting.
Swimming is already forbidden at the two ponds, but due to the weather, people have been seen to be cooling down in the water which was a concern to councillors.
Fishing is also going to be discouraged at the Hailsham Country Park, although it is permitted, Dr Hall suggested it wouldn’t be wise to consume fish caught from ponds in those conditions.
Councillor Neil Cleaver said: “On the 18th June, I had a phone call from a resident who was concerned about the smell of sewage. I immediately met the resident and took a sample and handed it over to Dr Stephen Hall to check it for E-coli.
The results were staggering, so I informed the Environment Agency, Southern Water and Wealden Environmental Health. I will continue to investigate local sewage issues around Hailsham and Hellingly alongside Councillor David White.”
