Wild birds killed at poisoned park lake

More than 200 wild fowl are estimated to have perished in Victoria Park's west lake, six months after dozens of ducks and cormorants died.

Park user June Beckett found two dead cormorants this week. She has also discovered sick ducks and a swan, which was taken to a sanctuary.

Today, she urged Tower Hamlets council to do more to eradicate the disease from the lake.

Ms Beckett said: "Imagine what it's like for children who've been brought to feed the ducks and they see all these dead birds. It's horrendous."

Botulism is caused when bacteria forms in stagnant water, often when lakes and ponds have been depleted by a drought.

Afflicted birds suffer paralysis. Once infected, they drown within 24 hours.

Ms Beckett, 50, accused Tower Hamlets of failing to treat the problem seriously. She estimates that since the summer outbreak more than 200 birds have died.

She said: "The park authorities don't seem to be getting down to sorting out the problem. They keep saying they haven't got the funds."

She and other park users have been advised by officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that the only sure way of ridding the lake of botulism is to dredge out the silt where the disease incubates.

Debbie Musselwhite, a writer and local resident, said: "Tower Hamlets says it doesn't have the money to do that, yet the park is always being used as a film location and, surely, some of that money - which goes towards arts in the borough - could be diverted to solve this problem."

Tower Hamlets introduced regular patrols after the outbreak of botulism in wildfowl in July.

The strain of the disease identified by officials is only harmful to wildfowl and is made worse by hot weather.

A spokesman for Tower Hamlets council said it was finding out what caused the recent death of a tufted duck.

However, he added: "We have no reason to believe that this isolated death is related to botulism.

"It is possible the duck may have been injured or become ill elsewhere."

Tower Hamlets is considering installing pumps and a borehole in the lake to introduce fresh water.

The spokesman said its records showed 27 birds have died since the summer, mostly mallards, and added: "While we appreciate the distress to the public, this is also a natural winter phenomenon and can also be more prevalent after a dry summer."