30982-36A POPULAR fishing venue near Swindon has closed after a mystery disease killed hundreds of fish.

Milestone Fisheries at Lechlade has a carp and coarse fishing lake and a trout lake.

The coarse and carp lakes will stay closed indefinitely, but the trout lake is due to reopen on October 1.

The fish are believed to have died from a viral infection called spring carp mortality.

The infection is thought to have been caused after one of the Milestone lakes was restocked with carp three months ago.

It is understood the disease was then introduced to the trout lake by an angler who had been fishing for carp.

Environment Agency spokeswoman Lisa Wigmore said not much was known about the disease.

She said: "It only affects fishing waters that are restocked in the springtime, and probably has something to do with the fluctuating temperatures. It does not occur when lakes are restocked in the summer or autumn.

"It is unusual for a fishing venue to close completely for four months.

"Normally the disease only takes a couple of weeks to disappear."

She said a large number of fishing venues in the Kennet Valley were badly affected by the same disease last year.

Milestone's three spring-fed lakes, the largest of which covers ten acres, were originally gravel pits.

Its owners are Bob and Sue Fletcher, neither of whom were available for comment.

A similar problem is thought to have affected the largest lake at Ivy House Lakes at Wootton Bassett. But after a short closure the venue has now reopened.

A spokesman there said: "There have been a lot of rumours flying about, but all we had was a minor problem which has now been sorted out.

"We have been given the all-clear to reopen by the Environment Agency."