SPECIALIST contractors have been hard at work trying to remove tons of blanket weed from the surface of Poole Park Lake.

The water had been turning increasingly green in recent weeks, as warmer weather encouraged growth of the choking algae, which can grow at a rate of more than two metres a day.

Wimborne-based company Water Plant has brought in two paddle-driven boats to gather up the weed, which placed in skips and taken away for composting by Eco Sustainable Solutions.

The cost of the weed-cutting is around £3,000 for the five day operation, but Water Plant’s managing director Andy Joy warned: “We’re doing what we can within the timescale. It’s a very shallow lake, so of course it heats up quickly. There’s no real tree cover or shade. This is no permanent fix – it’s something that will happen again.

“We work in lakes, canals and rivers all over the country and this is a nationwide problem. All sorts of people have all sorts of ideas about what causes it.”

Simon Legg, street scene operations manager for the Borough of Poole, said: “The council has hired a specialist machine to cut and remove as much of the weed from Poole Park lake as possible within a five day period, specifically concentrating on the model boat compound and main sailing area.

“While this is the only scheduled use of the machinery for this year, we continue to monitor the lake and operate a programme of lake flushing, dye applications and barley straw to tackle the issue.

“We are extremely grateful to and would like to thank Eco Sustainable Solutions who have again agreed to dispose of the cut weed for us free of charge.”

The lake is due to be flushed again next Wednesday to Thursday.