Experts planning structural work at lake in Sheffield park where man drowned

Council engineers have carried out an investigation after concerns were raised over the condition of the pavement around the lake at Crookes Valley Park, which hit the headlines when a man drowned earlier this month.

The issue surrounded the state of the path around the edge of the water, after a dip appeared in the hardstanding which surrounds the water in which a man in his 20s died on Sunday, July 18.

There is no suggestion that the drowning is related to the state of the path.

But council workmen have now drawn yellow lines around the area which has visibly sunk, to indicate the area where work needs to be done. Flowers and vegetation have started to grow inside the sunken area.

The authority has this week carried out a structural investigation to find out the extent of the damage, and officers have now established that the ground has sunk at the path – but importantly they found no major defects to the lake wall.

Officials say repairs are now due be made during the next phase of the council’s resurfacing works later this year to keep the footpath and dam structure in safe and appropriate condition for long term use.

Police and rescue teams were called out to the park earlier this month after it was reported that a man had got into trouble in the water. They found a body shortly before midnight on July 18.

Sheffield Council has since placed extra signs around the lake warning people of the dangers of swimming there.

The lake was used as a boating lake for many years, with rowing boats having been available to hire there until the late 1980s. It is still used by canoeing clubs.

According to Friends of Crookesmoor Parks, the park was laid out early in the 20th century.

They also say that the lake in the park was originally known as the Old Great Dam, built in 1785 as a reservoir for the city in Geogian times, before it was later incorporated as a feature of the park.

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