Water warning after more dog deaths as toxic blue-green algae found
TOXIC algae is feared to have killed three dogs after they drank water at a nature reserve, just days after another trio died over 200 miles away.
Blue-green algae was found in a lake at St Aiden's Nature Reserve, in Castleford, West Yorkshire after multiple fatalities.
The first death was at the beginning of the month and tests are taking place to determine the cause.
The Environment Agency is investigating, with vets advising pet owners not to allow their dogs to enter the water.
The blue-green algae can produce toxins that can be fatal for animals and cause sickness and muscle pain in humans.
A springer spaniel recently collapsed after swimming in the lake, but has since made a full recovery.
Within no time at all she was laid down and she didn't want to move, it was extremely frightening
Alva Jackson, the spaniel's owner, said: "She was a bit wobbly, I thought she had just overexerted herself.
"Within no time at all she was laid down and she didn't want to move, it was extremely frightening. I wasn't aware of the dangers in the water at the time."
Blue-green algae is behind the deaths of three dogs at a popular lake in Kent.
Council tests have come back positive for the algae, after the Brooklands Lakes in Dartford were closed to the public while the Environment Agency carried out additional tests.