Councillor urges people to be wary
AGLASGOW councillor has warned dog walkers not to let their pets run loose in Knightswood Park pond – because of a suspected algae outbreak.
Councillor Michael Cullen issued the warning after the Glasgow Times was told of the issue at the city park.
It is understood that more people have been feeding the ducks with white bread in the park recently, which has resulted in the suspected algae outbreak.
Councillor Michael Cullen said: “People should be a bit wiser and more sensible when walking around the pond, limiting their pets and not letting people go in it. Sometimes people go around the pond and they let their dogs in.
“We are getting testing done on the pond as soon as possible. Apparently, there are different types of algae, some of it isn’t any risk to anybody and some of it is. The standard practice is we take a sample of it and send it to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and they tell us if it’s safe.”
The Glasgow Times has been told by Mr Cullen that the council does not know when test results will be back from SEPA. It is also not clear if its labs are open during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Algae is a family of organisms, including seaweed, which is separate from plants as it has no true roots, stems or leaves and certain types can change the chemical content of water.
Algae can affect water quality and can be poisonous for dogs if they consume the water.
Meanwhile, signs in the park warn people not to feed bread to the ducks. It is believed white bread can damage the birds’ health, causing deformities.
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “We are aware that there is blue algae within the park’s pond, which is side effect of the recent warm weather and also discarded white bread intended as bird feed.
“A plan is in place to ensure the algae is appropriately treated by our experienced staff and we will be undertaking this work in the very near future.”
Jim Clarke, Vice-Chair of Friends of Knightswood Park, said: “Since lockdown, many folk have been rightly using their local green space to exercise and