Ducks have abandoned the pond in a park after council neglect left it in a “disgusting” state, villagers claim.
Craig Lewis, 37, said he had seen discarded cans, bottles and “grime” on the water, in Silver End Memorial Gardens, near Witham, Essex, and told the BBC the situation had been getting worse for “quite a few months”.
“This used to be thriving with ducks, all sorts of wildlife, and now there’s not a single duck in the area because it’s just so disgusting,” he said.
Braintree District Council said no maintenance schedule had been in place due to the pond being “ornamental”, but that it was aware of its condition and was organising a contractor to treat it.