Blickling and Felbrigg lakes undergo conservation work

A cofferdam was set up at Blickling lake to allow the brickwork dam to be repaired

The future of ornamental lakes that offer a haven for wildlife at two stately homes has been secured after structural problems were fixed.

Conservation work on the lakes at National Trust properties Blickling Hall and Felbrigg Hall, in north Norfolk, has now finished.

A survey found problems with the old brickwork in the dam walls and it was feared they would start to leak.

The trust's Emily Long said: "They represent important habitats."

Otters live at Felbrigg Hall's lake

Otters live at the 11-acre (4.4 ha) lake at Felbrigg alongside pike, tench, grey wagtails and water rail, while reed warblers, great crested grebe, pike and carp use Blickling's.

Broken bricks were discovered at the lakes in 2018, with the repairs partly funded by a bequest from a former Blickling volunteer

"The lakes bring to life how important water has been to our places throughout history, whether for fishing or unbeatable landscape views," said Ms Long.

"It's fantastic to undertake works to protect them so they may continue to play a part in making our catchment healthy, clean and rich in wildlife." 

Work to repair the lake at Felbrigg and stop water seeping out into the neighbouring land has been completed

The project to repoint and replace the broken bricks at Felbrigg started last year, with similar pointing work carried out at Blickling lake, which was created in 1729.

Enclosures - known as cofferdams - had to be set up on parts of the lake beds alongside plastic membranes, so water could be pumped out of the affected areas to provide a dry section to allow the repairs to take place.

A sluice gate at Blickling - featuring intricate ironwork - was also exposed for the first time.