A POND once home to turtles, fish and birds has now completely dried up.

Residents have been bringing tubs of water – and even a paddling pool – in an effort to keep the remaining wildlife alive.

Queen’s Park pond dried up (Image: Submitted)

The pond, at Queens Park, has been steadily disappearing over recent months, according to Springbourne resident Sarah Ayling, who has been photographing the changes.

She said: “It’s really terrible. Although this summer has been hot, we’ve had a fair bit of rain, so I don’t understand why it has dried up. This isn’t normal.”

Sarah said she has seen heron, ducks and moorhens in the pond as well as turtles, and claimed one of the reptiles left the site but was hit by a car. However, this is not confirmed.

Wildlife at the pond (Image: Submitted)

Queens Park councillor Alasdair Keddie explained that the pond is not spring-fed but instead relies entirely on surface water run-off from the golf course.

He said water levels first dropped last summer, exposing large amounts of silt, which led to winter works being carried out.

These included dredging to increase capacity, clearing drainage ditches and removing thirsty plants such as rhododendron and holly.

However, Cllr Keddie said a dry winter and what he described as “the hottest spring since records began” had left the pond highly vulnerable.

Councillor Alasdair Keddie (Image: BCP Council)

He said: “The net effect is this has been an accumulation of issues which are related to rainfall. Without sustained rain, the pond simply can’t refill.”

On wildlife, he added that most birds have migrated to nearby rivers and lakes, while one turtle, confirmed to be a yellow belly slider, was recently rescued by a wildlife group.

Cllr Keddie said the council has sought advice from ecologists, water companies and the Environment Agency but ruled out filling the pond with mains water due to chlorine levels and cost.

He added: “The situation with the wildlife pond is heart-breaking for people who love this space.

“We are putting long-term measures in place to build resilience, but in the short term what we really need is plenty of rain.”

For more information about Queen’s Park pond, visit: 
https://bcp.greenparty.org.uk/2025/08/05/low-water-levels-in-queens-park-pond-a-huge-amount-of-effort-going-on-and-full-programme-of-remedial-works-booked-says-alasdair-keddie/