Mystery solved over colour-changing water in canal which looked like a 'green carpet'
The canal water close to an iconic Black Country building has turned a vibrant green colour – and it's all down to the weather.
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As temperatures soared to 26C (80F) on Monday, duckweed coated the Stourbridge Canal near to the Red House Glass Cone in Wordsley, leaving a bright green film on top of the water.
The Canal and River Trust said the plant, while not harmful to wildlife, becomes a "major issue" when the weather gets warmer, multiplying in the summer at a "phenomenal growth rate".
A spokeswoman for the Trust said: "[The duckweed] is incredibly difficult to manage and impossible to completely remove from the waterways.
"The Trust spends thousand every year trying remove it and manage it, but the growth rate is far beyond what we as a charity can deliver and afford, and this will only get worse.
"This isn’t just a problem for the local canals, this is a challenge across the country. We will continue to do what we can with our limited budget and resources, and we’re always looking for people to help us."
The change in the water's colour came as the region was hit with a heatwave which is expected to remain until Wednesday afternoon, with heavy rain and thunderstorms expected to hit in the days that follow.
Kate Jones, museums manager at the Red House Glass Cone, said she noticed the water had changed last week and described it as looking like a "green carpet".
The iconic Glass Cone is finally starting to be returned to its former glory as scaffolding was seen being taken down in June after an 18-month restoration project.
Ms Jones, who is from Sedgley, said: "Last week it was really thick and vibrant but on Monday it had cleared a little bit by the Cone.
"It is duckweed which is quite a common thing apparently but it is really thick and vibrant at the moment – it is like a green carpet. I would say it was worse last week, it seemed to have eased a bit this week."
David Caunt, former chairman and trustee at the Stourbridge Navigation Trust, a historical society which looks after the Stourbridge Town Arm area of the canal, speculated that the green water could be down to algae.
He said: "It is all to do with the weather. Last year, it covered the canal by Merry Hill. It happens quite regularly on the canals because the water is basically not moving."
