Buxton "Blue Lagoon" dyed black to deter tourists ahead of summer
Derbyshire's blue lagoon has once again been dyed black to deter tourists from flocking to its toxic waters.
The former quarry in Buxton, which reportedly has the same PH value as bleach, attracted thousands of people last summer who used it as a place to relax and even swim during the warm weather.
The flooded lime pool, once the site of an industrial kiln that towered above Harpur Hill, near Buxton, was the source of huge problems for villagers living nearby last year.
As the problems caused by visitors came to a head during 2020, Derbyshire Police poured black vegetable dye into the water to make it less appealing to "Instagrammers".
Following a sunny weekend that saw over 100 people travelling in to see the quarry each day, High Peak Borough Council decided to repeat the process.
The harmless dye was spread on Tuesday, and then again on Wednesday, and it is now starting to disperse across the water, gradually turning it jet black.
Borough Councillor Keith Savage, for the Cote Heath ward, says the dye will now continue to be poured in every eight weeks or so.
"This weekend we've been up there to keep an eye on the place and there's not been thousands of people up there like there was last summer, but it's early in the year yet.
"The current roadmap out of lockdown could see the "stay at home" rule eased at the end of this month, and people would be allowed to meet up outdoors in groups of up to six, or in two households.
"Some fear this stage of the easing, especially if it coincides with sunny weather, could see a return to the chaotic scenes the village saw last summer.
Councillor Savage said: "If a couple of dozen people go up there and take a look they're not going to cause any huge nuisance, but it got to the stage last year where over one weekend over 2,000 people came, and they left a huge amount of stuff behind.""I can't imagine what it's like to live with that, even if it's just once or twice a year."
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