The events were canceled as the Merseyside area went into emergency lockdown amid fears of the deadly toxin

All weekend events in parts of Merseyside have now been canceled following the discovery of a toxic substance.

Sefton Council confirmed the event cancellations in a tweet this afternoon after issuing an emergency closure notice for Crosby Lakeside. The announcement was approved after the discovery of a potentially hazardous substance in the lake.

The substance is believed to be highly toxic blue-green algae that can be life-threatening to animals and cause skin rashes and vomiting in humans. According to the Environment Agency, not all blue-green algae blooms and tars are toxic, but it is impossible to check using sight alone. Therefore, in cases of suspected blue-green algae, the official advice is to always err on the side of caution.

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Crosby Lakeside Adventure Center is a base for a number of water-based activities, including kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding and open water swimming. Lakeside is particularly popular during the summer months and its wide range of activities attracts visitors from across Merseyside and beyond.

The protocol in these cases is for water samples to be collected and sent to the Environment Agency for a toxicology report. Until the results come back, the lakes will remain off limits.

If the results are negative, the lake’s precautionary ban will be immediately lifted, but if the toxin text is positive, it could take up to a month for the lake to be treated and given a clean bill of health.

In a statement published on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sefton Council wrote: “Due to the suspected presence of blue-green algae the lake is now closed as we suspect it may be harmful to people.

“Preliminary tests carried out by site personnel lead us to believe that it is blue-green algae, which can be harmful to humans. As a precaution, while we await further testing, we have canceled events scheduled to take place this weekend.

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but the safety of our lake users is our highest priority.”

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