The Times: 'Lake Windermere is Dying' - toxic algae puts swimmers at risk
"The sun is shining and in a scene that could have been plucked from an Arthur Ransome novel, dozens of children are swimming at one of the best bathing spots in Windermere.
Look closer, though, and something’s amiss: it’s not only the surrounding hills that are an emerald green — so is the water in England’s largest lake.
The unnatural colour comes from a population explosion of blue-green algae — a kind of microbe that can thrive in polluted lakes and rivers. It can be toxic to humans, causing rashes, vomiting and fever. For dogs, it can be deadly. And when it rots it can devastate fragile aquatic ecosystems by starving them of oxygen."
