A fault with a £45,000 bore hole at a popular beauty spot is being kept under wraps by a council, according to a retired engineer.
Geoff Yarnell claims an Angus Council officer admitted to him in early June that the water system at Keptie Pond in Arbroath has not been operational, meaning the annual build-up of unsightly algae has been allowed to spread.
The Arbroath 67-year-old, who lives near the popular local beauty spot, said he has never seen water issuing from the pump, which was installed last year in a bid to keep the water level up and combat the slime’s growth.
The council yesterday confirmed the pump has been working only “intermittently” over the last month and has now been switched off.
Mr Yarnell, who worked as an engineer with Scottish Hydro Electric, said: “It seems as though they are keeping information from me and probably local councillors as well.
“Everybody was delighted last year when the council spent the money to get the water levels under control but I have never seen any water going into the pond.
“The water level has been low this year so I rang them up at the start of June. The officer I spoke to said somebody had been down to check the pump and found it wasn’t working.
“My point is that we spent all this money from the Arbroath Common Good Fund and it doesn’t seem to be working.”
Algae has been a problem at the pond for years and local people have consistently raised concerns for wildlife and pets coming into contact with the water.
To clear the unwanted growth cost an estimated £8,000 a year before the installation of the bore hole.
Councillor David Fairweather said he met council officers and engineers at the site on Friday.
He added: “It would seem that the pump has broken down, which is extremely unfortunate but that is now in hand and the council is looking to get is back up and running as soon as possible.”
A council spokeswoman said: “We notified the contractor immediately and we are awaiting their inspection of the pump.
“The water level from the pump does not replace the water that is evaporating in the current climate. However, we do monitor the pond and as in previous years, we will top up the water if there is concern for the wildlife.
“At present we are monitoring the water level and there does not seem to be any concerns.”