City centre landmark 'leaking and dangerous'

PLYMOUTH city centre's landmark pond has been emptied and fenced off because it is leaking and dangerous - and the council is trying to figure out how to pay for repairs.

- By WILLIAM TELFORD

The pond was originally supposed to be fixed as part of the £3m revamp of Civic Square.

But that didn’t happen and now Plymouth City Council doesn’t know how much it will cost to mend it - or where the money is coming from.

The council has told The Herald the pond, situated in Grade II listed Civic Square outside the dilapidated and currently disused Civic Centre, was not refilled when water leaked out. The empty pond was then fenced off to stop people falling into it.

The authority admitted the pond is “not in a good way” and putting it right will be expensive. It doesn’t know how much it will cost and is looking at options.

A council spokesperson told The Herald: “We took the decision to stop filling the Civic Centre pond as it was leaking. As the water levels dropped, we erected temporary fencing around it as a safety measure as the pond had become a hazard, with the potential for people to fall from height.