Blue-green algae warnings for north coast beaches are removed

The East Strand and West Bay beaches in Portrush had been red-flagged at the weekend

Red-flag warnings about blue-green algae on north coast beaches have been removed.

The flags were raised for East Strand and West Beach in Portrush in County Antrim after concerns about potentially toxic algae at the town's harbour.

Causeway Coast and Glens Council said the advice to avoid water-based activities had been withdrawn.

It followed further testing of the coastal waters by the Department of Agriculture,

The council said the decision to remove the flags had been made in consultation with the RNLI.

Anyone who sees anything they suspect may be blue-green algae is advised to report it using the Bloomin' Algae app.

There were problems earlier in July at Portstewart, Castlerock and Benone, where bathing was also banned for several days.

Algal blooms may be green, blue-green or greenish brown and can produce musty, earthy or grassy odours

There were also sightings in County Londonderry on Thursday.

The algae had washed down the Lower Bann River from Lough Neagh.

Algal blooms are caused by water pollution and certain weather conditions.

Invasive species like zebra mussels also contribute to the problem by cleaning the water, allowing sunlight to penetrate more deeply and stimulate algal growth.