UK's largest lake turning toxic green signals disaster, say environmentalists

04 October 2023 , 15:02

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The blue-green algae has taken over (Image: Irish Mirror)

The UK's largest lake, which supplies 40% of the water to Northern Ireland, has turned a toxic green and the environmental disaster is being underplayed, according to Friends of the Earth.

Lough Neagh's water is being poisoned by blue-green algae caused by a lethal combination of record high temperatures, high nutrient levels, an increase in invasive foreign zebra mussels which filter the water and long term neglect. It is also impacted by the suspension of Stormont which means politicians aren't overseeing decisions made about the lake.

The blue-green algae, is not really algae, but a type of bacteria called cyanobacteria. It is found in fresh and coastal waters and needs sunlight, nutrients and carbon dioxide to grow. With the extra zebra mussels in the water the sunlight can burst through, growing the algae and in turn suffocating the fish. The algae can cause skin irritations or upsets stomachs if ingested while swimmming and can even prove fatal for pets and livestock.

Friends of the Earth's James Orr believes the disaster - which is seeing a green slushy waste left across the surface - is being underplayed because it's not happening on the mainland of the UK. He said: "Lough Neagh is the heartland of Northern Ireland. This is our Loch Lomond, our Lake Windermere. If this was happening in England this would be such a massive story that you couldn't get to the House of Commons, there'd be so many outraged people outside."

Algae on the surface of Lough Neagh (PA)

He told Sky News: "Lough Neagh has become like a toilet. That feeds the algae, the algae in turn grow in very prolific numbers, they suck the oxygen out of the water and they start feeding themselves to the point that it becomes frenetic. It becomes a toxic soup."

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Public anger is growing over the state of Lough Neagh and a vigil has been held with campaigners describing it as a wake for Lough Neagh. More than 100 protesters, many dressed in black, carried a coffin to the shoreline to represent their concerns that the lake is "dying" due to pollution.

The BBC's Northern Ireland politics correspondent Jayne McCormack explained: "If Stormont was sitting, we'd have an environment minister, who could bring in new policies and actions. They'd effectively be the public face accountable for what different government agencies are doing. But Stormont has been suspended for nearly 19 months, so its left to civil servants who are unelected and unaccountable, to tackle the issue without any major political intervention."

Kelly-Ann Mills