WORK to save a pond in Kingsmead has cost almost £10,000 more than expected.

Kingsmead Parish Council was shocked when the final bill arrived for clearing the silt from a pond in Coronet Avenue.

Councillors expected the work to cost around £820 but the final total is more than £10,700.

Jo O'Donoghue, parish clerk, said: "The cost of pond works and removal of silt has gone up tremendously because of the amount of silt removed.

"Our original thoughts were £820 but the final bill is £10,771."

The council explained that ponds can fill up with silt over time then develop a blanket of vegetation.

Eventually this can help trees to grow, which then means the pond is lost.

Invasive species were among the vegetation at Coronet pond, which had to be disposed of correctly following Environment Agency regulations.

Clr Tim Moore said: "From the reports we've got we know that if we'd done nothing we would have lost the pond.

"We would have lost the pond and had to fill it in - that's not good, that pond is a nice pond.

"The work has been handled by a licensed company and if you look at the shaping and what they've done once we're through winter and it refills it will regenerate.

"Some areas could need flattening down because it's churned up.

"It looks pretty horrible right now but it will be fine when it comes back and stuff grows back pretty rapidly.

"Hopefully it will just be about keeping on top of the basics now."

Clr Andrew Murison said that the council had had no choice but to do the work, which can be covered in this year's budget.

"We've just got to bite the bullet and pay for it," he said.

Clr Moore added: "We were saying that even if it came in at a heavy expense that's front-ended by five years - nothing's been done for five years and it's all come at once."