West Suffolk Council announces closure of Bury St Edmunds’ Hardwick Heath fishing pond

A council has closed a fishing pond at a town’s beauty spot, it has been announced.

West Suffolk Council posted on Facebook yesterday that it has shut Hardwick Heath pond in Bury St Edmunds after a number of fish died.

The cause of the fish deaths is suspected blue-green algae, also called cyanobacteria, which blooms can produce toxins harmful to wildlife.

The authority said it will be contacting those with fishing permits over the next few days to inform them of the closure.

It will offer to extend their permits by however long the pond is closed for.

It also said it cannot confirm how long the pond will need to close for.

The dead fish have been removed from the pond and we will be sending off samples to check for the algal blooms.