Worries about algae in Ellesmere's Mere

The algae is poisonous to dogs, and notices are in place alongside the mere warning owners not to let their pets drink from or go into the water.

It is thought that the unseasonable warm weather in mid February led to the algae growing and 'blooming', turning the water an almost florescent blue green.

However, there are also worries that the algae may have been caused by something else that might have polluted the mere.

Angler Peter Moorhouse took to social media to express his worries about the algae.

He said: "As a child, the lakes always had an algae bloom in June or July. We used to say the water had 'broken' and this would last a couple of weeks then the water would clear. Seeing this so early is very worrying."

Countryside warden Shaun Burkey replied: "We share your concerns. I have called upon the Environment Agency for them to investigate as we too suspect pollution. Investigations continue."

Others said that the believed that the shallow water, caused by last summer's hot summer, and the warm spell in February has led to an early bloom of the algae.