Pollution fears over bank holiday weekend in Lowestoft have been put to rest as the Environment Agency confirmed algal bloom was to blame for black residue spotted on the sand.

Life guards at Lowestoft's south beach raised red flags to warn swimmers not to enter the sea after they discovered black spots on the beach.

The Environment Agency was contacted on Saturday, August 25 and officers took test samples from the bathing water.

A spokesman for the agency said that the discolouration had been caused by an algal bloom, a completely safe natural occurrence triggered by an increase in algae growth.

They have reassured the public the sea is safe to enter as the algae is non-toxic.

Anglian Water also confirmed their work on a sewer in Station Square was unrelated to the pollution concern and did not impact the south beach.

A spokesman said engineers were investigating an issue with one of their sewers, meaning sewage was being pumped into a different pipe to avoid digging the road up.

The man hole on Station Square is temporarily cordoned off to allow the investigation to take place.