VILLAGERS and visitors in Grasmere are being urged to play their part in a £2.5 million drive to clean up the lake.

United Utilities, which is due to start work on revamping the village wastewater treatment works in the New Year, is appealing for tourism-related businesses and people living and working in Grasmere to cut down on the amount of biological detergents they use in a bid to reduce phosphate pollution in the lake.

It is hoped the eco-friendly drive will complement work at the treatment plant, which aims to treat almost three times the amount of wastewater than is handled at present.

The company plans to add new filters at the plant to remove much of the phosphate from the flow, and help avoid blue green algae bloom that sometimes flourishes on the lake.

Work at the Grasmere plant will also involve improvement to its access via the A591.

A public meeting will be held on Thursday, October 10, at 8pm, in The Tithe Barn, next to St Oswald's Church vicarage, Grasmere, to fully explain the work that is planned.