The EA report that a sudden collapse of the bank following torrential rain sparked a flood alert in Holbeton after it flooded a field on the outskirts of the village. Fish including, pike, bream, roach, tench, perch and eels were washed into a lake that quickly formed following the breach.
On Monday (Dec 3) a team of Agency officers helped by members of the Tiverton Angling Club will set to work rescuing the fish that will die if left in the flooded field. Pumping has reduced the size of the lake that still measures approximately 150 by 60 metres and is up to 7ft deep in places.
Devon County Council, which owns the Tiverton Canal, has installed two temporary dams to prevent further loss of water and these will remain in place until the bank repairs have been completed.
The Agency will use a boat to net the fish that will then be returned to the canal. Officers have been waiting for the lake to sufficiently reduce in size, through ‘over-pumping’, before going ahead with the rescue.
“This will make it easier to net the fish. We plan to rescue as many as possible and return them safely to the canal. There have already been some losses with birds including gulls feeding on a number of dead fish at the water’s edge, but there are still plenty of fish left in the lake and we are keen to get them out and back in the canal,” said Nick Maye for the Environment Agency.
The rescue, that is expected to take up to two days, might be delayed until Tuesday if water levels rise due to further rainfall over the weekend.
