Remembering Sunderland's 'Nessie' which sparked a search of Mowbray Park lake

Nessie in Sunderland? It was on the cards 25 years ago when the search was on for Wearside's own mini monster.

Fish experts were searching for Sunderland’s version of the creature in Mowbray Park in 1999.

Eels, koi carp and other finds

Instead, they discovered a two-foot long eel within minutes of casting their nets.

The lake was being emptied as part of a £3.2million revamp and legend had it that eels as long as four-feet may be living in the water.

Fishery science officers from the Environment Agency started the search for the creatures and soon found the eel as well as a large koi carp.

The eel weighed in at three pounds and was placed with some smaller discoveries in a special tank.

A bridge back to 1999

Emptying the lake was expected to last two to three days and the Environment Agency estimated 6,500 cubic metres of water had to be drained off.

Paul Gowan, of Sunderland Council’s environment department said at the time: “These finds prove that the rumours that there was marine life in the pond were true.

“It gives is a taste of what else we might find.”

The size and species of the fish was logged by the agency and they were stored temporarily before possibly being returned to the lake.

To give you a reminder of 1999, here are some other news highlights.

When Niall's disco pants were in the news

The bridge between Crowtree Leisure Centre and The Bridges was being demolished to make way for the £1million development under way at Crowtree.

Niall Quinn’s disco pants - the terrace chant about the big Irishman’s dancewear - was recorded as a song by the team from Sunderland football fanzine, A Love Supreme.

Its creators believed the CD and cassette could eclipse Simply Red and White’s Cheer Up Peter Reid.

The musical geniuses on the CD were Bri Nylon (in real life Maz Gabrysch), and Johnny Jitter (Johnny Tate), Spen Garlic (Peter Daykin), Terry Lean (Jamie Harwood) and Martyn Marzipan (Martyn McFadden).

The 250ft high chimney at the incinerator in Trimdon Street was demolished in a project which was kept under wraps for health and safety reasons, and only a few people watched the spectacle.

Trimdon Street was blocked by the police while the chimney was toppled, but the street reopened shortly after the dust settled.

Tell us if you remember these 1999 stories.

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