More issues have emerged at Carshalton Ponds as the popular beauty spot continues to lose water just weeks after repair works were carried out.
Sutton Council has warned that water levels could drop “quite significantly” over the coming days as temperatures remain high and SES Water is no longer able to top up the ponds.
The council previously drained the upper pond in July to allow contractors to repair a leak near Honeywood Museum.
That leak was believed to be linked to damage around a gulley which allows water from aquifers to flow into the pond.
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The decision to drain the pond during a heatwave sparked anger from some residents, who raised concerns about the impact on wildlife and questioned why repairs had not been carried out sooner.
The council has now said it has discovered “more issues” while continuing to work on the problems affecting the ponds.
In a statement, it said: “We have been doing a lot of work to fix some of the problems at Carshalton Ponds. Unfortunately, we have now found more issues and the ponds continue to lose water.”
SES Water had previously provided additional water to the ponds while the problems were being addressed.
However, the council said this will no longer be possible due to increased drought restrictions.
As a result, it expects water levels to fall “quite significantly” over the coming days because of the severe hot weather.
The council said: “We know that this will have an impact on the wildlife on the ponds and we are doing all we can to minimise this.”
They added that it cannot currently confirm when the pond will be fixed and is seeking “specialist advice and support” on the next steps.
The latest development comes after SES Water previously stressed that it did not have a licence requiring it to maintain the ponds' water levels.
Lib Dem Cllr Andrew Jenner, who represents Carshalton Central, previously said SES Water had topped up the upper pond “as a favour” but had decided to stop until the leak was fixed.
He said the company had determined that enough water was passing through the gauging station below the cascade in The Grove to meet its Environment Agency requirements.
Cllr Jenner also previously said repairs to the gullies had been planned during earlier works at the ponds around two years ago.
However, he said the work could not be completed after vehicles crashed into the railings surrounding the ponds, creating safety concerns for contractors.
The council previously said it knew the inconsistent water levels were having an impact on wildlife and was working to complete repairs swiftly.
It has now said it is continuing to seek a long-term solution and will provide a further update when it can.
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