Parks bosses have banned boating on a popular lake after discovering an algae which could be harmful to humans.

A toxic form of blue-green algae has been identified as the mystery bug responsible for the deaths of dozens of birds in Brooklands Lake, East Worthing.

Property services manager Brian Curtis said: "The Environment Agency tested the water and confirmed this is what we are dealing with."

In recent years in the UK, blue-green algae have been responsible for the deaths of birds, fish and animals, although no human deaths have been directly attributable to their toxins.

The Health and Safety Executive says many cases of ill health have been reported both here and abroad, with symptoms including dermatitis, asthma, eye irritation, rashes, blistering around the mouth and nose, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and nausea.

A coot is believed to have been the latest victim of the algae on Saturday, suffering such a heavy dose that it could barely keep its head above water.

Billy Elliott, of Worthing and District Animal Rescue Service, said the incident was unacceptable and insisted the rotten corpses of dead birds must be a health hazard in a lake that was regularly used for boating.

He said: "I've taken out more than a dozen dead ducks and coots, some were covered in maggots.

"I do not want to be alarmist but it could take someone getting seriously ill before something is done.

"There is a lack of facilities like Brooklands, it's great for parents with kids. People go down there regularly for the playground, the boats and golf course. They are watching these birds hatch, go in the lake and are now watching the birds float by."

Worthing Borough Council has not yet set a date for the return of boating on the lake.

Mr Curtis said the algae could "most certainly" be the reason for bird deaths.

He added: "It's a natural phenomenon that happens on lakes across the country and it's a product of the hot weather. It usually sorts itself out within a few days or sometimes a few weeks."

"We will watch it and when we think it's gone, we will get more tests done and we will take it from there."