HORRIFIED residents found scores of dead fish floating at a Bolton beauty spot.

People walking around the Eatock Lodge nature reserve in Westhoughton have reported seeing large numbers of dead fish, mainly coy carp, on top of the water.

Bolton Council bosses have confirmed they have been forced to remove at least 150 dead fish.

The council, which has been working with the Environment Agency said that the fish had been killed because of “extreme weather conditions”, which are believed to have involved low water levels.

Westhoughton resident Clive Daubney said he saw hundreds of the dead fish on the surface of the water last week, describing the scene as “horrific”.

The 62-year-old, who lives in Drake Hall, said: “I think I saw 300 dead fish — it was very unpleasant, an horrific sight.

He added that he had seen contactors using weed killers in the water at the lodge and believed that could be what had killed the fish, but the council said evidence from the Environment Agency said otherwise.

A council spokesman said: “We received reports last week from residents that there were dead fish on the surface of the water. We went down and removed about 150 fish, which is thought to be a relatively small percentage of the total stock.

“We’ve been working with the Environment Agency and our understanding, from them, is that this was a one off event caused by extreme weather conditions.

“We’re still keeping an eye on the lodge and will continue to liaise with the Environment Agency on this.”

Eatock Lodge is a six hectare local nature reserve and site of biological importance.

The Environment Agency was unavailable for comment.