A VILLAGE duck pond will become stagnant unless action is taken to improve things, campaigners have warned.

Residents have called a public meeting in Grewelthorpe, near Ripon, at 6pm on Thursday to discuss the issue.

An open invitation to attend has been issued to residents through a public notice. The meeting will be held outdoors, on the village green overlooking the pond.

The invitation said: "The village pond is in danger of becoming stagnant. Unless some action is taken, the pond will no longer be an attraction of our village.

"We need to take some action with regard to the fish stocks, number of ducks and general appearance of the pond."

A representative from the Environment Agency will attend the meeting to discuss the issue and answer questions.

A day-long clear-up will be held on Sunday, October 16.

Residents have been asked to turn up at the pond with gardening tools and boots to carry out some work.

When the duck population recently increased rapidly, the population rise was dealt with humanely by donating some to owners of a Nidderdale pond where ducks were in short supply.