Fears over 'environmental catastrophe' as dogs fall ill and hospital anaesthetist contracts disease 'after swimming' in iconic Lake District beauty spot.
Scientists say that sewage from tourists could be fueling massive algal blooms. Lake Windermere is turning green each summer as more tourists arriveTourists making a trip to the Lake District this summer might be looking forward to cooling off in the deep blue waters of Lake Windermere.
Richard Flemmings, CEO of Map Impact, told MailOnline: 'We're able to see a link between increasing numbers of people and increasing algal strength. During a heatwave in 2022, for example, tourists were warned to avoid Lake Windermere's water as the lake was overwhelmed by a blue-green algal bloom. Sewage from the 300,000 tourists arriving on some peak days adds nutrients to the water which causes algae to grow out of control
Although Mr Flemmings notes that this study doesn't directly look at the sewage infrastructure in the Lake District, he says that this research 'highlights the need for action'. At peak times the researchers found that the Lake Windermere catchment area was visited by eight times its resident population - as much as the population of Nottingham
A company spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Our wastewater treatment works are sized to treat the sewage from maximum population numbers at peak times, and use the highest treatment standards including phosphorus removal and UV treatment to kill bacteria.'
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