'Hundreds' of dead fish have been found in a pond in a Stockport park – but the problem is not due to pollution, the Environment Agency has said.

The fish were spotted last week on Tuesday, October 24 in Bramhall Park when a foul stench started coming from the pond and around 200 appeared to be dead in the water.

Groups working in the park such as Sustainable Bramhall and Friends of Bramhall Park feared pollution could be the cause of the issue, but an investigation by the Environment Agency has suggested a different cause.

Nicky Todd regularly visits Bramhall Park and was worried by what she saw.

She said: "I'd gone for a walk down there and there was a smell. The gold bits stood out quite a bit and what we thought were leaves were actually dead silver fish, there were hundreds.

"I've tried to get through to environmental health but the phone was just ringing for 30 minutes. Children will see this, kids are always there and school groups go there."

Lis Bolas from Sustainable Bramhall said: "This has been tragic to see so many fish die. We don't know enough about the incident, just that it is in some way caused by pollution.

"Some in the Local friends of groups: Bramhall Park, Happy Valley and Carr Wood, have had training via the Mersey River Trust and are testing the rivers that lead into Bramhall park monthly.

"This has only just started in last two months so they don't have enough data yet. But the river testing was set up in response to the pollution in the rivers from sewage outflows and agricultural runoff."

The Environment Agency investigated the incident and said that predatory birds were spotted in the area which likely caused the issue.

An Environment Agency Spokesperson said: "Officers attended reports of distressed fish at a pond in Bramhall Park, Stockport last week, Wednesday 25 October.

"No evidence of pollution was found in the pond, water course or nearby River Tame. However, goosander, predatory birds, were spotted and officers determined it was likely the fish got into distress after cramming into a constricted space, reducing their oxygen in an attempt to evade the birds.

"If members of the public spot fish in distress, report it to our 24/7 incident hotline 0800 80 70 60 so that our officers can investigate."

The Agency confirmed that it has contacted Stockport Borough Council to carry out their role in removing the fish carcasses.

A United Utilities spokesperson, said: "Our teams investigated and found no issues with our infrastructure in the area and we have shared our findings with the Environment Agency."

Stockport council was contacted for comment.

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