Visitors to Maldon's Promenade Park will see big changes to the new-look Marine Lake this week as work starts on getting the attraction open in time for the summer holidays.

Hundreds of tonnes of sand have been imported to create a new beach in place of the former boating area and the first buildings to be used as lifeguard stations and fencing have been delivered.

The work is part of an overhaul of the lake in order to make it safe in time for the school holidays in July.

District council officers have around six weeks to complete the programme.The work includes fences around the lake with controlled entrances, and CCTV has been installed as part of the ongoing installation of security cameras around the town.

The lake was drained following the death of Kevin Gay from Shoebury, who drowned after hitting his head on a broken submerged depth marker last August.

District councillors held numerous meetings to try to get the lake reopened without drastically changing the nature of it.

Richard Holmes, community services officer at Maldon District Council, said: ''We are trying to reopen the lake in time for the summer holidays.

"We have put in a range of measures; there will be new depth markers and we have started recruiting for lifeguards.

''The biggest change will be the fenced area. The lake will be an enclosure with entries.''

He added: ''There is quite a lot to do, but things are happening. The programme is on track.''

Another new feature of the lake is that the water will be deeper, but swimming will be restricted to certain zones.

Officers stressed at meetings to discuss the future of the lake that the Health and Safety Executive, which will announce in the next few days whether it will prosecute the council over the accident, would not allow the lake to open as it was and that they had the power to shut it down.

The HSE report will contain only a decision on whether the council will be prosecuted.

Published Thursday, June 5, 2003

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