Reservoir's algae level warning

28 July 2011 Last updated at 12:47 GMT A build up of algae has occurred at Llysyfran reservoir in Pembrokeshire Levels of a potentially toxic blue-green algae found in a reservoir near Haverfordwest have prompted a safety warning from officials.

Pembrokeshire Council and Public Health Wales have asked Llysyfran reservoir owners, Welsh Water, to temporarily restrict activities such as swimming.

The council said the Environment Agency had carried out tests and would continue to monitor the situation.

The build up of algae is a natural occurrence during warm conditions.

The council said the blue-green algae produced toxins which could cause skin rashes, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, fever and headaches if swallowed.

Continue reading the main story Do not swim in the waterDo not swallow the waterAvoid contact with the algaeDo not eat fish caught in the reservoirDo not allow pets or livestock to come into contact with the waterObserve and abide by notices positioned around the reservoir Occasionally it can cause more serious illness such as liver and brain damage.

The council said children were at greater risk than adults of developing problems.

An outbreak of blue-green algae at Aberffraw on Anglesey was confirmed by Environment Agency Wales in July last year.

Powys council spent more than ?400,000 restoring Llandrindod Wells lake after the build up of blue-green algae killed hundreds of fish in the summer of 2006.

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Unemployment level falls 9,000

13 July 2011 Last updated at 10:36 GMT Unemployment in Wales dropped by 9,000 in the three months to May, latest figures show.

It means 115,000 people were looking for work between March and May, 16,000 lower than the same period last year, says the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Wales' unemployment rate fell 0.6% to 7.9%, against 7.7% for the UK.

But the number claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in Wales has risen by 1,700 in the past month to stand at 74,500.

The fall in the number of job seekers in Wales accounted for more than a third of a wider fall across the UK, where unemployment fell 26,000 in the three months to May to 2.45m.

Wales' rise in the claimant count figures comes as the number of people across the UK claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in June rose by 24,500 to 1.52m - the biggest such increase in two years.

The figures also show the economic inactivity level in Wales was 483,000, a fall of 3,000 on the previous quarter.

Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan welcomed the jobs market and economic activity figures.

She said: "Employment in Wales continues to go in the right direction."

She said the UK government's policies "for creating the right conditions for business growth and job creation" were getting "more people back to work in Wales, while our welfare reforms are showing that work pays".

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