The Britain that’s gone too green...
WEEDS in the garden are one thing, but when they threaten to block a waterway then it’s not only a hazard for humans but serious for wildlife.
British Waterways crews sailed into action to beat the menace of this huge weed infestation that had started to clog the Selby Canal in Yorkshire.
The blanket weed, which is notorious for jamming boat propellers, choking off oxygen in the water and spreading at a rate of knots, was hauled out of the canal with a mechanical digger.
Waterways chiefs were quick to assure local residents that the weed was not blue-green algae, cyanobacteria, which forms toxic green scum when it dies and has spread in many lakes and canals across Britain this summer.
British Waterways crews sailed into action to beat the menace of this huge weed infestation
The toxin causes sickness and muscle pain in humans and can prove fatal for animals.
A British Waterways spokeswoman said: “Blanket weed is harmless to people and pets, but it spreads very quickly and clogs up the waterways.”
It deprives the water of oxygen and can be bad for wildlife – as well as annoying for humans messing about in boats.
