LEAKING sewage from a blocked pipe has killed fish in a popular Hampshire pond.

A piece of slate has been blamed for clogging the pipe, causing sewage to spill into a stream leading to Shirley Pond, off Warren Avenue in Southampton.

Southern Water engineers spent yesterday clearing and using special pumps to add oxygen to the pond, which is a popular spot with fishermen, dog walkers and young children.

Several fish left unable to breathe but were rescued from the water. About a dozen were dead by the time the response team arrived.

A Southern Water spokesman said: “We will continue to work with the environment Agency and Southampton City Council to minimise the effects of this incident.

“The environment is our number one priority and we take incidents such as this very seriously.”