Thousands of fish are being killed as a result of the London 2012 Olympic games
Thousands of fish were killed in a ?toxic legacy? from a ?24million project linked to former deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.
Activists reckon the ?Prescott Lock? ? which was built by the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation under Lord Prescott?s control between 2007 and 2009 ? is to blame for pollution.
Last month?s torrential rains washed a lethal cocktail of pollutants and sewage into the Lea in Leyton, East London.
?Fish are dying all the way down the old River Lea down into the Olympic Park because of the lack of oxygenation?
Charlei Charman
Thousands of fish suffocated after getting trapped behind the lock in water that didn?t contain enough oxygen. The lock was built to prevent the raw sewage that flows out of the East End?s storm drains from reaching the manicured lawns of the Olympic Park.
But campaigners claim that the construction of the taxpayer-funded lock has also changed the tidal patterns in the Lea, playing havoc with the local ecology as a result.
As well as keeping sewage out of the Olympic Park campaigners claim the lock was built to make the site more attractive and navigable to boat users.
Charlie Charman, of the Games Monitor and Save Lea Marshes pressure groups, told us: ?Fish are dying all the way down the old River Lea down into the Olympic Park because of the lack of oxygenation.
?The effect of the Prescott Lock was to impound all the water behind it, to make the water deeper in the Olympic Park, which makes it look nice, because it doesn?t go low and muddy at low tide and boats can sail around in it.
?The effect is the whole thing is contaminated with silt and sewage.
?It is toxic in the sense it all goes through the sluice at Lea Bridge and now it is all trapped behind the locks within the Olympic Park.
The ?24million project responsible for the 'toxic legacy' has been linked to John Prescott
?Previously that part of the river was pretty clean but now I think the problem is going to get worse and worse. The silt and sewage builds up and can?t be washed out by the tide.
?It is reasonable to suggest this lock built for the Olympics is responsible for the fish dying.?
A spokeswoman for the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) refused to comment, passing on our request to the Environment Agency (EA).
Last week an EA spokeswoman said: ?Environment Agency fisheries officers worked through the night on Tuesday 23 July and during the day on Wednesday, aerating the River Lea at Three Mills Boatyard on the Lower River Lea.
?Fisheries staff returned to site yesterday (July 25) and are currently monitoring oxygen levels which are showing signs of significant improvement thanks to the effect of the aeration units.
?Mechanically aerating the water has helped raise oxygen levels in the river, which crashed as a result of recent thunderstorms. This helped create a refuge area for fish such as bream, perch, pike and roach.?
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