Fears are growing for thousands of fish in a pool in the Black Country after a rescue mission to pump oxygen into the water was abandoned because of the weather.

Hundreds of fish have already died at Willenhall Memorial Park due to a lack of oxygen in the pool, which is popular with anglers.

And the situation is now even worse after the water completely froze over.

Recent temperatures have led to a thick layer of ice on top of the pool, which has made it more difficult for fish to breathe in the shallow water.

Council workers had used mini-diggers to break through the ice and were also using an oxygen pump.

But with temperatures hitting -12C (10.4F) over the weekend, the operation has had to be abandoned.

Nigel Ilsley, parks manager for Walsall Council, said: “We’ve had to abandon our efforts because of the treacherous conditions in the park.

“The weather severely deteriorated over the weekend.

“The area around the pool is very slippery, and it’s become extremely hazardous for our staff to use the generator to pump oxygen into the water.”

He added: “The pool has now completely frozen over but we’ll continue to monitor the situation over the next couple of days.” Carp and roach are among the breeds of fish which live in the pool, which is under the stewardship of Parkside Fishing Club.

There are thought to be at least 5,000 fish living there but they cannot simply be moved to a new home due to regulations over contamination.

It was also revealed last week that thieves had been seen targeting the pool.

A group of men and women had been spotted taking the fish, with fears that they were cooking and eating them.

The Environment Agency is now monitoring all pools in the Black Country in a bid to catch thieves in the act. Officers urged the public to contact them if they see any thefts taking place by calling 0800 80 70 60.

There have also been reports of fish thefts at Moorcroft Wood Local Nature Reserve in Moxley.