Broken lock sluice may put fish at risk (From York Press)

Broken sluice at Castle Mills lock may put fish at risk

10:05am Wednesday 29th August 2012 in News By Richard Catton, richard.catton@thepress.co.uk

The swollen River Foss at Foss Basin on Sunday

FISH could be put at risk in the River Foss in York due to a broken sluice next to Castle Mills lock.

Tony Martin, head lock keeper and chairman of the North Riding branch of the Inland Waterways Association, said he had been told by City of York council of a problem with the sluice and said he believed there was something jammed under it.

He said: “The engineers have acknowledged problems with the sluice by the side of the lock, and that the bottom gates on the River Ouse side will need replacing at some time in the near future.”

A spokeswoman for the Environment Agency said the organisation was aware of the problem at Castle Mills.

He said: “The sluice at the lock is seeping and we are aware of this. It actually causes the level of the river to go down rather than to rise.

“There should be no risk of flood. If anything it might affect oxygen levels which would be bad news for fish.”

He said: “Money is in the pot to deal with it and we are working in conjunction with City of york Council.”

The level of the River Foss rose throughout York on Sunday as the lock at the Foss Basin struggled to hold back a deluge following days of heavy rain. Barge owners who pitched their boats at the lock ahead of Sunday’s York 800 Flotilla on the Ouse contacted the head lock keeper at about 8.30am after hearing water gushing over the top of the lock.

Mr Martin said: “I went down there on the Ouse side to open the paddles which relieved the situation, but the Foss was well up.”

The Environment Agency put the high water in the Foss down to the “sheer volume of rain”.