Emergency vets are issuing a warning today about blue-green algae, a bacteria found in bodies of water like ponds, which is highly toxic to dogs.

Vets Now, the pet equivalent of A&E, is calling on pet owners to take care when walking their dogs near water this summer and to look out for the green, blue green or brown coloured scum or foam.

It comes of the back of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) warning that hot weather conditions have led to concerns about an increase in toxic blue-green algae in locations across the UK, WalesOnline reports.

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One of the country’s leading emergency vets, Dr Laura Playforth, professional standards director at Vets Now, said: “Blue green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, are tiny organisms typically found in freshwater lakes, ponds, reservoirs and slow-moving rivers. It blooms