Beckenham Place Park has reopened to the public after several children got into difficulty in the new swimming lake.

The park was closed by Lewisham Council on Wednesday after the number of people visiting the lake “exceeded” expectations and a temporary fence was installed.

A Lewisham Council spokesman said: “As with any open water facility, we need to ensure people can enjoy themselves safely. This means carefully managing the number of people using the lake and the space around it.

While the park is now open to visitors, the lake remains closed while more safety measures were put in place.

The park was relaunched last weekend after a £6.8 million renovation and has been a huge hit with people testing out the wild swimming lake as temperatures have soared.

However, parents began to raise concerns about lifeguarding around the swimming lake and depth of the water for children after a child was taken to hospital on Monday afternoon.

A dad-of-two from the area named Ben told News Shopper: “If you go to a local leisure centre, children aren’t allowed in the water unsupervised.

“You hear stories in the summer about children and even young men who have drowned.

“Who’s going to take responsibility when there’s another little coffin led out of there?”

Lewisham Council said health and safety of park visitors was “paramount” and rules around lake use were “explicit” on the website.

PTP, which runs lifeguarding and activities at the lake, has offered refunds to people who had pre-booked swimming sessions while it is closed.