NEW Brighton’s marine lake has been described as “little more than a large open drain” collecting rubbish as a community looks to try and clean it up.

The lake was built in the 1930s and is still popular amongst swimmers and visitors to the seaside resort despite its problems.

The lake was used up until 2021 as a water adventure park but permanently closed with algal blooms causing problems. The lake is one of the last historic features of a town that lost its iconic swimming baths, its tower, and pier.

In 2023, the Friends of New Brighton Marine Lake was set up to try and improve the quality of the water in the lake both for the safety of those who swim there but also to attract more people to the resort. They have cleared blocked drains of rubbish and litter and lifted several Morrisons shopping trolleys.

Though they said things have improved following clean ups, Clare Mahoney, from the group, has told Wirral Council: “The water remains in a poor state, full of debris and dirt, green and opaque, with little marine life. Without care, bluegreen algae, currently dormant, is likely to resurface, posing a threat to swimmers, children and young people, tourists, dogs and wildlife.”

One recent comment highlighted by the group said while many were concerned about the lake, “literally thousands don’t give a damn. As things are, the lake is little more than a large open drain collecting all the debris the elements want to throw at us.”

The group said: “For too long, there has been a sense that the poor state of the lake is just something that the community has to live with,” adding that if it was cleaned, “marine life would return and the lake would stand as a beacon of hope, a visible testament to the power of community action and technology in bringing life back to forgotten, polluted places.”

The group has applied for a £13,000 grant to try and improve water quality and have raised £13,500 so far including a £7,000 Wirral Borough of Culture grant for a new mural on the lake’s seawall. At a recent clean up, they pulled 150 bags of rubbish, trolleys, and bikes out of the water.

Now they’re looking to help raise £200,000 to install aerator equipment and mussel ropes in the hopes the shellfish will naturally help clear the water. They’re looking to join Wirral’s bid for the Lottery Climate Action Fund but in order for this to move forward, they need to sign an agreement with Wirral Council who own the lake.

Councillors will look at a presentation by the Friends group at a Tourism, Communities, Culture and Leisure committee meeting on November 28. The group told the council that working together would benefit the local community calling the lake “an extraordinary and much-loved asset, and a critical element of the regeneration of New Brighton.”