For the third year running toxic blue-green algae blooms that look like pea soup and smell like rotten eggs have covered much of Lough Neagh, the largest lake in the UK and Ireland.

But this summer, the thick green veneer -- so widespread it is visible from space -- has been worse than ever, according to locals living near the Northern Ireland landmark.

"The lake is dying," Mary O'Hagan, an open water swimmer, told AFP at Ballyronan, on its western shore, as ducks struggled over slick green-coated stones.

The algae growth -- fuelled by industrial, agricultural and sewage pollution, as well as climate change, according to experts -- has ravaged fishing and watersports, and prompted concerns about drinking water safety.

Signs banning bathing dot the lake's 78-mile-long shoreline, includi

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