Canvey Lake

While the land where Canvey Lake is situated is owned by Castle Point Borough Council, it is leased to Canvey Town Council, so they are responsible for the running of the Lake and while also working with the Environment Agency, as Canvey Lake acts as an important part of the flood relief measures.

Summer 2025

Rebecca remains very concerned over the state of the Lake. The Council have had three years to tackle this problem. The temporary solutions they have put in place are not working. No-one wants to see a repeat of the wildlife deaths we have seen in previous years and action needs to be taken now. Rebecca has urged the Council to act NOW.

JUNE 2025: COUNCILLORS SHOULD PUT AN EMERGENCY ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOLOGICAL PLAN IN PLACE FOR CANVEY LAKE NOW BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!

"Thank you to those concerned residents who forwarded me this blog released on the Castle Point Borough Council website today: https://www.castlepoint.gov.uk/.../castle-point-borough.../

This statement from the political leadership of Castle Point Borough Council has upset many of my residents. It reads as if it there is no intention to take any action or responsibility for the lake.

This summer Canvey Lake is clearly yet again potentially facing the same environmental disaster and wildlife deaths it has for the past three summers. No matter what the terms of the lease say, it’s either Castle Point Borough Council’s responsibility or Canvey Town Council’s responsibility to maintain the lake. The same parties run both councils and in many cases exactly the same councillors are on both councils.

Either way this is their responsibility.

Rather than making political statements about social media campaigns from understandably concerned local residents and further attempts at political buck passing, residents want to see a plan in place to end the environmental catastrophe.

It has been three years since we saw record fish and bird deaths on the lake and as far as residents are concerned local authorities are no closer to solving the problem.

Canvey Town Council have had responsibility for the lake for over 15 years and should have planned for this totally foreseen situation. Instead we have had years of dither and delay. So while I welcome the Borough Council’s commitment to collaborate with other authorities on significant works in the future, councillors need to put in place an emergency environmental and ecological plan for the lake for this summer as soon as possible!"

Rebecca has also written to the Secretary of State about the current state of the lake:

Dear Secretary of State, I am writing with an urgent request for DEFRA to immediately act to assist Canvey Island Town Council and the residents of Canvey Island in preventing an environmental and ecological disaster at Canvey Lake. Canvey Lake, an enclosed water body originally formed as part of Canvey Island's historic sea defence works, provides vital green space, urban wildlife habitat, and plays a recognised role in surface water management on this low-lying, flood-prone island. However, in recent years, poor maintenance, governance disputes, and a lack of coordinated ecological management have caused the lake's condition to deteriorate significantly. The consequences have been stark. In recent summers, residents have witnessed distressing scenes of mass fish and bird deaths, deteriorating water quality, algal blooms, and a collapse in local biodiversity. These events are in no small part due to excessive silt build-up, and a lack of proactive dredging Despite the best efforts of local volunteers and community groups, the site has effectively been allowed to slip into environmental decline. . Since the first instance of mass wildlife deaths in 2022, the Council have not put a permanent solution in place. An aerator system installed by the Council last week as part of a temporary solution failed yesterday and we are already starting to see fish deaths and birds in distress. Given Canvey Island's unique vulnerability as a heavily populated, low-lying area reliant on artificial flood defences, the situation at Canvey Lake cannot be ignored. I am therefore asking for your department’s immediate intervention to: 1. Ensure emergency measures are put in place by relevant authorities including Canvey Town Council, Castle Point Borough Council, and the Environment Agency to prevent further wildlife deaths at the lake in the coming days. 2. Facilitate an independent, expert-led ecological and hydrological assessment of Canvey Lake as a matter of urgency. 3. Provide technical and legal advice to local authorities on their statutory obligations for riparian ownership, flood management, and environmental protection. 4. Explore the potential for DEFRA or Environment Agency-led intervention, including emergency dredging and restoration works, to stabilise the lake’s ecological condition this year. 5. Encourage the establishment of a legally binding conservation covenant or similar mechanism to safeguard the long-term environmental, recreational, and flood resilience role of Canvey Lake. Without urgent action, there is a real risk that this summer will see a repeat of the distressing scenes witnessed by residents in recent years. I believe DEFRA’s involvement is critical to breaking the current stalemate, ensuring that environmental standards are upheld, and preventing further ecological decline on Canvey Island. Once immediate action has been taken I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this matter further with you and your officials, and I would be happy to facilitate a visit to Canvey Lake so you can see the situation firsthand.

January 2023 Update from Canvey Town Council

Humane removal of fish from Canvey Lake: Following the heatwave in 2022, which saw thousands of fish die at locations across the UK and had a devastating impact on the fish in Canvey Lake, the Town Council met with organisations including the Environment Agency, Anglian Water, Essex County Council and Castle Point Borough Castle with a view to improving fish welfare. After reviewing all options, it was decided the most humane course of action would be to remove a large quantity of fish from the lake and temporarily suspend fishing to allow the ecosystem to recover.

The decision has been taken on the advice of environmental experts to remove a substantial quantity of fish stock from Canvey Lake for their own welfare and to help improve the ecology and biodiversity of the area. The fish will be moved into isolation ponds by a specialist contractor under the supervision of The Environment Agency where they will be allowed to live out the rest of their natural lives. All fishing will also be suspended at the lake until further notice to help it to recover from the damage caused by last summer’s extreme heat. Apart from the removal of fishing rights, the lake will remain open to the people of Canvey.

Over the last few years and due to the impact of Climate change we have seen an increase in extreme heat, the lack of rainfall and the shallow nature of the lake causing excess evaporation and algal bloom'. This results in reduced oxygen levels, and more concentrated toxins such as ammonia, in the water and in turn leads to the death of fish, water birds and other wildlife. Many fish in the lake also suffer from Koi herpesvirus (KHV). While KHV poses no risk to human health, it causes serious skin lesions in some fish and can lead to large scale mortality.

Canvey Island Town Mayor, Cllr Doreen Anderson, said: “We know that Canvey Lake is a valued open space for the community and popular with fishermen, but the reality is it is not a fishery or an ornamental lake. It is a surface water run off tank, designed to take water from the surrounding roads, and as such is very polluted. “With less rainfall and warmer summers, we know that what happened in 2022 will happen again,” continued Cllr Anderson “Unless something changes, we will keep repeating this cycle and so cannot allow such a large fish population to exist in the lake.”

The Council will be looking to work with Thames 21 and other environmental organisations to review other ecological interventions to help improve water quality and hold a public consultation to review a future plan for the lake.

Summer 2022 - Canvey Lake

"I want to thank Rob Turner and the other community members who have been working on saving our wildlife. It is clear there needs to be a long-term solution to the problems at Canvey Lake- to this end I have been speaking to all organisations involved and helped set up Multi-Agency meetings so we can make sure we are all working together for the improvement of the Lake. The deceased animals are being cleared on a daily basis and as quickly as possible. While I understand that the sight of dead wildlife is distressing, people should not take out their frustrations on the hard-working staff from the Council or the Environment Agency. I will continue to liaise with the agencies and provide updates to residents." REBECCA HARRIS MP (16/08/22)

A number of residents have been in contact about Canvey Lake and Rebecca has been in contact with the Environment Agency and Canvey Town Council about these issues. Because of the hot weather, lakes across the country are having similar problems- drying up due to the extreme weather conditions and no rainfall. The fire service has also assisted with the aeration of Canvey Lake. Rebecca has also spoken to local businessman Rob Turner who runs Kings Park, has been setting up aeration units in the Lake.

The Environment Agency:

"Recently we have been supporting Canvey Town Council who run the lake, by providing mechanical aeration to help increase oxygen levels. Our Fisheries Officers have been giving advice and guidance to the council and have supplied some informative posters to help communicate the impacts of dry weather with the local community. Environment Agency Officers have also inspected Canvey Lake a number of times recently and believe that the water quality is being affected by an algal bloom. Algal blooms occur naturally but can have a greater impact during long periods of hot, dry weather. Increased algal activity during a bloom can affect the dissolved oxygen concentrations available to support fish and aquatic life, as well as increasing the alkalinity of the water which can, in turn, increase the toxicity of other naturally occurring substances. We have spent considerable resources since at least 2012 supporting Canvey Town Council with the management of the lake, and will be in touch with them very soon to advise them of the importance of having a long-term plan for the future management of their amenity." ENVIRONMENT AGENCY OFFICIAL STATEMENT (11/08/22)

Canvey Town Council

"Canvey Island Town Council have been working closely with multiple organisations, including the Environment Agency, DEFRA and CEFAS, regarding the number of issues that Canvey Lake has experienced this year.

Whilst the Town Council does take the responsibility of the lake, along with the wildlife, seriously, the impact of the environmental issues there have made this an arduous task. The low water level has exacerbated the poor water quality, which is difficult to control due to Canvey Lake being used by the Environment Agency to assist with flooding issues and the repository for water taken from the storm drains. Canvey Lake contains extremely high silt levels, the removal of the silt has previously been investigated both in 2012 and lastly in 2017 by a multi-agency group run by Castle Point Borough Council including all relevant agencies involved in the lake, and due to the unachievable costs involved in this task, and that it would reoccur due to the nature of the lake it was not deemed a viable option.

It is distressing to see the effect this has had to the fish and wildfowl and whilst we do have contractors there daily to remove the deceased animals, we are battling with the constantly emerging numbers which are due to the dead animals inflating with gases and rising to the surface. The animals that are removed must be disposed of by an approved method for disposal of Category 2 animal-by-product waste to ensure it complies with local Environmental Health department regulations.

Each year, the Town Council makes important decisions regarding how the precept that has been paid by residents of Canvey Island is used. Just above 1% of the amount of council tax each household pays is received by the Town Council, this equates to £21.87 annually for a Band D property. From this money the Town Council allocates nearly 15% (£38,220) to the maintenance and running of Canvey Lake. In this financial year the Town Council have already allocated £31,515 to the maintenance of Canvey Lake. The Town Council are transparent with how it manages its finances, and our budgets are available to be viewed on our website. Further information regarding our finances can be requested by any resident.

The Town Council will continue to work on the issues faced daily and is endeavouring to find a long-term resolution. The Town Council are thankful for the strong community spirit that has once again been displayed by the residents of Canvey Island and hope that Canvey Lake will be able to return to the wildlife facility we are so fortunate to have in an urban area." CANVEY TOWN COUNCIL OFFICIAL STATEMENT (16/08/22)

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Canvey Lake Legal Responsibilities (3.81 MB)	3.81 MB