Last week, residents were dismayed to again see the ponds almost completely empty, happening relatively fast and without warning.

Today Sutton Council shared an update on social media.

“The water from Carshalton Ponds comes from local springs that are seasonal and fed through into the ponds via a network of pipes. SES Water tops up the water levels when the springs are dry.”

As reported by Secret Carshalton the ponds use an innovative system to keep the water levels topped up.

The council said “Following the government announcement last week of severe drought in some parts of the UK, the Environment Agency issued even greater restrictions on water usage.While SES Water had been continuing to top up the water levels, this stopped late last week.”

They went on to say “Despite this, we would not expect the levels to drop as dramatically and as quickly as they did on Saturday.”

This system has been in place since the 1960s and repairs need to be made. The last time the ponds were completely emptied were in 2023 when they were dredged – as reported by Secret Carshalton.

The council explained “We do not know why this happened and we are currently seeking specialist advice as to the cause. Later this week, a contractor will be on site to start initial investigation works.”

Secret Carshalton will be keeping an eye on things. We also will be providing an update on Elms Pond and fountain.