Angling club wins battle over drained Darran Valley lake

A fishing club has won a six-year legal battle against a council after it drained a lake and failed to take action to protect fish stocks.

Caerphilly council has been ordered to pay more than £30,000 in compensation to the Rhymney Valley and District Angling Society.

Contractors drained the lake at Parc Cwm Darran near Bargoed in 2013 to carry out maintenance work.

But the fishing club said it had not been informed of the work.

After the water was drained, fishermen found many fish had been washed away into the river and others had suffocated in the silt at the bottom of the lake.

Caerphilly council is also expected to have to cover legal costs.

Secretary of the angling society, Jesse Pugh, said: "Membership dropped off dramatically after that.

"Day ticket sales went from around about £4,000 a year to nothing, simply because this place was devoid of fish."

The anglers claim they asked the local authority for £10,000 in 2014 to be able to restock the lake with fish but the council refused to give them that amount.

A county court judge in Cardiff ruled that the council should take responsibility for what happened.

Mr Pugh added: "I'm absolutely devastated that our own local authority has wasted so much money.

"It was quite an open and shut case as far as we're concerned.

"The pond was empty, there were numerous people in the local village who saw the pond was empty and yet the council insisted there was still plenty of water in there to sustain fish life."

Caerphilly council has been asked to comment.