DUCKS and geese are continuing to die at the polluted Pymmes Park boating lake.

Despite residents' efforts to save the remaining wildfowl, up to a dozen more geese and ten ducks have been poisoned by the water which is contaminated by sewage.

It was a depressing sight for Theresa Lefley and Linda Badham who helped pull around 20 dead ducks from the lake two weeks ago.

The friends have taken the birds' rescue into their own hands after accusing Enfield Council, the RSPCA, and Thames Water of complacency.

Ms Lefley claims a park ranger refused to take the boat out at the weekend to collect more dead and dying birds which were left to float in the water to the distress of visitors including a party of primary school children.

She said: "Somebody has to take responsibility for what is happening. The council first instructed the removal of the birds ten days ago but since then nothing has been done.

"If they had been taken off the lake in time we might have been able to help them live."

Ms Badham, who took the boat out herself to rescue the birds when they began to die, said the situation needed to be resolved urgently.

She said: "It is like a ghost lake. There are a handful of ducks down there but they are not even swimming towards you, they are just sick."

Roger Ayrton, Pymmes Park project manager, said the council was still awaiting test results to confirm the source of poisoning.

It is believed the ducks were victims of botulism but there is a strong possibility they could have been poisoned by sewage, pumped into the water by Thames Water for some years.

Mr Ayrton said: "This is a very urgent matter. The sewage is still coming in and it isn't helping the ducks to recover very easily.

"I have spoken to Thames Water and they assure me they are investigating. "

Mr Ayrton said he wanted to install a bore hole when the sewage is eventually stopped to pump clean water into the lake.

Enfield Council recently carried out a £535,000 clean-up operation of the water.