ESSENTIAL dam works are to start in July on a Bramhope nature reserve's pond.

A reservoir inspector was called in to exam damage at Paul's Pond, in the Breary Marsh Nature Reserve, after a large swallow hole appeared.

Leeds City Council has been monitoring the pond since December 2015 when a small depression was seen. The situation has deteriorated since then and emergency repairs are now needed to prevent a breach of the dam wall.

Work will now begin on July 4 and will include draining the pond and removing the fish, as well as the removal of some trees and vegetation. Footpaths will be closed in the area where tree works and dam repairs are being carried out.

Breary Marsh is next to to Golden Acre Park and can be reached from the car park for Golden Acre Park just off the A660 Otley Road, or from a network of paths through Bramhope and Cookridge.

Paul’s Pond is a fish pond belonging to the Cookridge Hall estate. It was dug in the 1820s to provide fish and ice to the kitchens, and was named after William Paul who bought the estate in 1890. ?