Residents living near Canvey Lake in Essex have described feeling "devastated" and "broken" after the death of an entire swan family, believed to have been killed by exposure to toxic blue-green algae in the water. The two adult swans and their three remaining cygnets were taken to South Essex Wildlife Hospital on Tuesday amid concerns over the lake's deteriorating condition, but all died by Friday, prompting a local committee member to call it an "environmental disaster".

The swans had nine cygnets this year, two of which were earlier killed by foxes and one of which died from avian botulism after being rescued in June. Testing in July 2025 found the lake contained 2.5 million cells of blue-green algae per millilitre, more than 100 times the warning threshold, leading Canvey Island Town Council to surrender its lease to Castle Point Borough Council. The borough council said it was "very saddened" by the losses and confirmed £1m in funding for major restoration works, while noting similar algal bloom problems have affected other bodies of water across the region during the recent heatwave and drought.