UK: Heatwave causes mass fish death at park in Derbyshire

Around 100 dead roach fish were found dead at Belper River Gardens in Derbyshire on Sunday after temperatures went past 30ºC in the area earlier last week.

The experts have ruled out the possibility of pollution or chemicals causing these deaths at such a scale. The current heatwave in the UK is what caused the phenomenon, they added.

"We believe this was the result of a natural phenomenon caused by a rapid change in temperature from the hot conditions on Friday followed by a drop in temperature and heavy rain on Saturday," said a spokesperson for UK's Environment Agency.

"Fish depend on oxygen in the water to survive and these conditions can result in very low dissolved oxygen in shallow water. Roach are particularly susceptible to this but fortunately other species including koi carp were unaffected," they added.

The agency further revealed that the dead fish have been removed now and two pumps have been deployed to aerate the waters, per a report in The Independent.

The UK witnessed the hottest days of the year last week with maximum temperatures touching or exceeding the heatwave threshold. The health officials have also warned people of the dangers of hot weather. Meanwhile, a level three alert is currently in place for London, the south-east and east of England.

"During periods of hot weather, it is especially important to keep checking on those who are most vulnerable, such as older people and those with heart or lung conditions," said Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at the UK Health Security Agency.

Climate change is causing record-setting temperatures to become more frequent. Globally, the decade to 2019 was the hottest recorded, and the five hottest years have all occurred within the last five years.

With Earth having already warmed by 1ºC, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) dropped a bombshell report late last year.

It said that that Earth's average temperature will hit the 1.5ºC threshold around 2030, a decade earlier than projected only three years ago. The UN has urged the world to stop global warming.