Helston park responds to claims of dangerous substance causing critical dog sickness

A social media post from a dog walker caused worry in Helston residents as it described their dog getting critically sick after a visit to the Boating Lake in Coronation Park.

The social media post claimed that their dog started to be sick in the back of the car, struggling to breathe and bleeding from the mouth.

"He was poisoned by BLUE ALGAE in the water, he didn't go near or touch the water, the wind carries its spors which he's inhaled," the social media post read.

"We took him to the vets and if we were five minutes later he would have died."

A spokesperson from Coronation Park has since responded to the claims of blue-green algae in the water.

They said on social media:

"We have been made aware of a post online warning of a dog becoming sick from allegedly inhaling blue-green algae spores in Coronation Park over the weekend.

"We would like to assure everyone that we have carried out initial checks this morning and have found no evidence of blue-green algae. We will continue to monitor the lake and will carry out further professional testing to confirm our results."

The park reminded dog walkers that despite there being no evidence of the dangerous substance, it is still essential to keep dogs on a lead at all times "to protect the wildlife."

Residents have been reacting to the park's response.

One resident said: "It wasn't the algae in the water - it was the spores in the air around the lake. You'd need to do an air quality test looking specifically for blue green algae spores to detect those."

Nub News has contacted Coronation Park for further information on their next move.