PETERSFIELD Town Council is angling at widening the scope of its hunt for a solution to the problem of blue-green algae at the Heath pond.

Since being diagnosed at the end of July, the algae has since cleared on the pond – but not before it killed an estimated 5,000 fish and dozens of water birds.

Last month, German-based company Phoslock gave a presentation to town councillors outlining their solution, but councillors have since raised doubts as to how effective that could be in the long term.

Town clerk Neil Hitch said: "I have questions about Phoslock. I am not sure it is a sustainable solution and I'm far from convinced it is the way to go."

He added: "Because of the nature of Phoslock there would be no funding from the Environment Agency at all, because of the type of treatment it is. This is really only a short-term solution.

"I was always clear at the start of this process that we should not jump into bed with the first person that provides us with a solution."

Petersfield and District Angling Club secretary Brian Worwood said: "Phoslock were impressive, but they are salesmen and have got to be biased to their own product. At least we would have a comparison.

"If you believe Phoslock, that its phosphorous that causes the blue-green algae, then it seems to be the phosphorous you have got to get rid of."

At a grounds committee meeting, councillors drew up a list of other potential companies that could help give them some comparisons in finding a long-term solution to the problem. They found that different companies had different ideas about the cause and solutions to the algae problem.

Possibilities raised included introducing predators into the water to reduce the fish population, aeration, and suction dredging to reduce phosphorous release, to encourage algal growth, as used in the Norfolk Broads.

Phil Aiston said: "I am interested in what happened in the Norfolk Broads. They used a bio-method and it seemed to work very well. I was amazed with the results."

Mr Worwood pondered whether academic institutions could offer help. He said: "Surely somewhere in this country there must be a university that specialises in the problem we have got. A department somewhere who would be happy to come down and have a look at the problem."

He added: "We're all clutching at straws, because none of us are specialists."

Councillors agreed to contact a selection of organisations for advice and possible solutions to the problem, including: Sparsholt College, Norfolk Broads Authority, University of East Anglia, Water Habits, Spirex Aquatics, Environment Agency and Greening Campaign.

Grounds chairman Hilary Ayer said: "We must not allow ourselves to be rushed into the Phoslock way. We have got to give ourselves time to write to these other parties."

The official all-clear has still not been given to the pond, as the Environment Agency has not sanctioned a test, despite requests from the town council and Petersfield and District Angling Club.

Meanwhile, despite costs of £11,371 for disposing of the dead fish after the algae outbreak, Mr Hitch reported that the council was still within budget, although a transfer of funds might be necessary in the future.

He said: "At the moment the cost has been applied to the litter clearance budget of the Heath. While it's still within that it is not going to last for much longer. I would think it is possible we could find a virement for this by the end of the financial year."

At the meeting, Bob Ayer asked members of the angling club (who were in the public gallery) about the use of ground bait, which may contribute to the nutrients present in the Heath Pond. Mr Worwood advised that ground bait was used but the club restricted the amount and type of ground bait that could be used.

Mr Worwood said: "We are aware that we are contributing to the problem. Like all these things there are many factors and the fisherman is one of them."