Urgent stay away warning at UK beauty spot over toxic algae that can kill dogs
People visiting the Lake District have been told to stay away from certain waters after toxic algae was spotted.
Blooms of poisonous blue-green algae were found in the water at Thirlmere reservoir, prompting the Environment Agency to take samples at the Cumbria site on July 14.
It comes after visitors reported some of the water looking "like green paint".
Dog walker Rose Gare-Simmons said she had to take her Labrador retriever Blisco, to the vet after he went in the water after a walk and needed injections to induce vomiting after his paddle.
Ms Gare-Simmons, from Morecambe, explained it was a really hot day and she had been worried her pet would suffer heatstroke after a long walk at Raven Crag.
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She decided to take him to Thirlmere to cool off, however he ran off ahead and she lost sight of him because the area was so overgrown.
She said: "Blisco had run ahead and I caught up with him in the water less than a minute later. I saw the state of the water, it was so green and thick it looked like paint.
"I panicked and got him out and took him to a clearer bit of water to wash him. I heard that algae can kill dogs within an hour as it is so poisonous so I rang the vet and we were in the car within seconds."
Blue-green algae occurs naturally in bodies of freshwater, but some kinds can be toxic to humans and lethal to animals.
During a bloom, the water becomes less clear and may look green, blue-green or greenish-brown.
Scums can form during calm weather when several bloom-forming species rise to the surface. This can look like paint, mousse or small clumps.
An Environment Agency spokesman said: "Cyanobacteria or 'blue-green algae', a type of blooming algae, can produce toxins.
"These toxins can kill wild animals, livestock and pets. They can also harm people, producing rashes after skin contact and illnesses if swallowed.
"We have informed the landowners and other statutory bodies so that action can be taken to put up signs to alert the public."
Zoologist Matt Staniek previously warned "people's health is being put at risk" after blooms were reported in Windermere in 2022.
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Mr Staniek, who last month led a campaign against the discharge of sewage into the lake, claimed phosphate, coming from United Utilities' owned sites, was feeding the blooms.
Environment Agency bosses said they had spent hundreds of thousands of pounds in the past decade to help tackle the problem.
United Utilities said it recognised there were concerns and it was committed to "playing its part" in minimising its impact to Windermere.
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