A POPULAR Leigh beauty spot has been ruled out of bounds for bathers and pets due to an outbreak of poisonous blue-green algae.
Notices have been erected around the area warning the public of the dangers of the algae.
Contact with it can cause eye irritation, vomiting, diarrhoea, skin rashes, muscular pains and fever.
Wigan Council says only authorised use of Pennington Flash will be permitted while the algae is present.
Growth
The algae is found naturally in many inland waterways such as lakes and ponds.
Hot weather is ideal for its growth and it rises to the surface of the water as scum, looking like blue-green paint.
Bob Saunders, Wigan's chief environmental health officer, said: "Pennington Flash is a popular place in Leigh with a lot of visitors in the summer, but contact with the algae must be avoided.
"People are urged to avoid swimming or even paddling and to keep their pets well away from the water."
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