On the morning of 20 June 2024 the Gould family found almost every fish dead in Furnace Brook, a 2.4 hectare, stream-fed lake in the High Weald, East Sussex. Diane and Alistair Gould and their son Simon counted at least 15 species including carp, tench, bream, roach, trout and large eels, and estimate more than 2,000 fish died, with many sunk out of sight. Neighbours buried roughly 15 trailer-loads of carcasses and witnesses reported eels crawling out of the water to die. The Clippenham stream that feeds the lake was also full of dead fish, leading the family to suspect pollution from upstream and prompting an Environment Agency visit two days later. The Environment Agency declared the incident Category 1, meaning a serious, extensive or persistent impact, and an official investigation is under way as the blame for the kill is sought and local waterways are examined.
