A RISING number of complaints has led a ward councillor to hit out at health and safety measures at a heritage valley pond.

Cllr Kenneth Roberts, for the Greenfield ward of Holywell Town Council, has spoken out about his concerns over the pond at Greenfield Valley.

He said: "We have a situation here in the valley. Firstly, the weeds in the pond. We have had money to spend here all year and there are still weeds. It is dangerous.

"The wildlife can't breathe, there are no more swans, and I want to know who is responsible and what can be done about it.

"We have had two deaths in recent years due to people swimming in the weeds. So now they (the weeds) have made the pool even more dangerous, and this is what I want to highlight and get out there."

Cllr Roberts said he has received a lot of complaints from local fishermen who have "known the place for years."

He said: "The pool has been so taken over by weeds that the weir cannot negotiate its way through it. You can hardly see any water. It's all weeds and this has never been seen before."

He also fears for the lives and well-being of the public who visit the pond due to the "detrimental" decision to install a defence wall, designed to stop water filling up the reservoir, which he claims was "not needed."

Cllr Roberts said: "The defence wall is waste of money. They've been talking about it for quite some time, but the water has never risen above the level it is at. It was a prosperous idea."

The wall aims to protect a reservoir where the water level is likely to increase. If the water level rises, the water from the reservoir will flow over the wall and into the weir below as opposed to the pedestrian path.

The barriers that have been installed in conjunction with the wall also leaves a "gap" for people, especially children, to fall through leading to a 9ft drop, says Cllr Roberts.

He said: "Now, they have made the whole thing even more dangerous. A child could run straight through this. All my constituents are barking mad about this. The amount of complaints has risen since they installed the wall around three years ago."

Greenfield Valley Trust said: "Greenfield Valley Trust and Flintshire County Council, who are responsible for the management of the pools, take the safety of the visitors to the valley very seriously and assess all forms of risk across the site and put in place measures to ensure people can enjoy the natural environment safely.

"The weed growth on the pool is a natural feature and does not need to be controlled. The public should not enter the water and there are many signs around the pool indicating this.

"The barrier erected recently as part of the maintenance works to the reservoir is not intended to prevent access to the water but demonstrate the drop from the bank edge. We would encourage visitors to the site to adequately supervise their children as they would in any environment near a water course."