A 300-YEAR-OLD mill pool has been saved from extinction after being threatened with enforcement action which would have turned it into a mud pond.

Friends of the Oulton Mill Pool in Cotebrook have breathed a sigh of relief after learning the historic waterway is not to be fully drained, after years of speculation surrounding its survival.

The news will be welcomed by villagers who regard the five-acre pool as an important rural beauty spot and thriving habitat for wildlife, including swans, ducks and coots.

The final twist in the saga involving the mill pool emerged after continued pressure was put on the pool owner, the Oulton Estate, by Cheshire County Council.

The authority issued an enforcement notice to deal with the pool's flooding problems some years ago under the 1975 Reservoir Act.

The authority was concerned the pool could cause flooding at any time and piled pressure on the Oulton Estate to address the problem via enforcement action.

A series of twists and turns followed but it has now emerged, following a re-measurement of the waterway's depth, that the pool is shallower than its original measurement.

As a result, the pool only has to be drained by seven inches - rather than the original 0.4m as first proposed - which cancels the pool's status as a flood threat.

Cheshire County Council will have to withdraw its enforcement action, which will be welcomed by villagers and the Mill Pool Restaurant in Cotebrook, which trades on the back of the mill pool.

The final twist in the mill pool saga emerged at the May meeting of Tarporley Parish Council.

Addressing fellow councillors, Tim Hill, a Vale Royal borough councillor, said the pool will be saved due to a new measurement of the waterway.

Cllr Hill said draining the pool by seven inches would take the pool out of the remit of the Reservoirs Act and pose no flooding threat.

'Anglers believe that draining the pool by seven inches won't turn the pool into a mud bank,' said Cllr Hill. 'This is an interim solution and not a permanent one. There is a one-in-100-years risk of flooding.

'Vale Royal Borough Council would like to see a new culvert placed in the pool, but the problem is funding it. However, this is quite positive news.'

Earlier this year Cheshire County Council issued fresh enforcement action and gave the Oulton Estate 28 days to deal with the pool's problems.

However, measurements were carried out in the interim, which led to the situation which will save the pool from being drained totally.

Earlier this year Michael Scott, a senior partner of Chester-based Denton Clark, which acts as agent for the Oulton Estate, said the estate would not break the law and draining was being considered.

In a statement, he said: 'The water will be lowered but the pool will be preserved. When you pull a plug out of a bath some water remains. It's a flexible situation.'

Officials at Cheshire County Council confirmed that draining Oulton Pool by seven inches would ensure public safety.

A county council spokesman said: 'The county council has responsibility for the enforcement of the Reservoirs Act 1975 and has recently had to apply pressure on the owner of Oulton Mill Pool to undertake works in the interest of public safety.

'The owner's engineer made such recommendations in both 2000 and 2002, however, the work has not been carried out.

'Last month the reservoir was surveyed and the owner's engineer now recommends that the water level needs to be reduced by 18cm in order to ensure public safety.

'The county council has agreed to this revised proposal and it is hoped that this will be undertaken as soon as possible.

'Meanwhile, the county council has concerns regarding a second proposal to remove Oulton Mill Pool from the Reservoirs Act and has asked for clarification from the owner.'