Environmentalists hold ‘wake’ for largest fresh water lake in UK and Ireland following toxic algae bloom

Environmentalists held a ‘wake’ on Sunday (17 September) after toxic algae bloomed in Northern Ireland’s Lough Neagh.

The loch, which is the largest freshwater lake in the UK and Ireland, is critical to the country, as it supplies half of Belfast’s drinking water and 40% of Northern Irelands overall.

Over the summer, noxious blooms of algae covered large parts of the lough, thought to be largely linked to excess nutrients in the water.

Protesters, who were mostly wearing black, accompanied a coffin along the shore and placed a wreath with the name of the loch on top.