Clatto Reservoir warning as deadly blue green algae blooms spotted

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Dundee Council bosses have issued an urgent warning for visitors to Clatto Reservoir. It comes after a potentially deadly blue-green algae bloom was spotted in the water.

The plant is made up of tiny organisms which develop naturally in lochs, ponds, reservoirs, rivers and in the sea. They are a common seasonal occurrence and waters which have been affected by agricultural, domestic or industrial discharges are most at risk of developing the algae.The algae can multiply during the summer months and discolour the water which then appears green, blue-green or greenish brown and, occasionally they clump together to form a scum on the surface of the water.At the shoreline, algal crusts may appear brown to almost black in colour.DundeeLive brings you the latest headlines from Dundee and beyond.But did you know you all the ways you can stay informed with us?You can get our top stories sent straight to your inbox with our daily news updates.

Simply fill in the sign up box further up this article or click here.Make sure you give us a 'Like' on Facebook to get the latest Dundee breaking news, pictures, video and live reports in your feed.You can also follow us on Twitter, clicking the notification bell to receive alerts any time we tweet.We share everything from live news and exclusive scoops to the latest features and sport every day so you definitely don't want to miss out!Contact with algal scum or water close to it can cause skin rashes.More serious health effects can include stomach upsets, eye irritations and pain in muscles and joints.These symptoms are usually mild, but in some cases can be severe.The risk to small animals like dogs is significant over the summer months as they tend to drink more water in the heat and