Businesses that rely on accessing a reservoir near Llanidloes say continuing restrictions could result in a "devastating" loss of income.

People have since November been urged to stay out of the water at Llyn Clywedog after blue-green algae was found.

Powys County Council still recommends that people should not swim, allow pets or livestock to come into contact with the water or eat fish caught in the reservoir.

The algae, which produces toxins which can cause skin rashes, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, fever and headaches

Phill Stasiw runs The Lodge and Mountain Bike Wales which is based at Staylittle near the reservoir.

He said: "We have a number of guests and adventure tour companies who will be staying with us this spring/summer and have booked SUP, sailing and kayak sessions with Mavericks SUP and Brenin Adventures.

"If water-related activities are unable to run, that’s going to be very disappointing for both visitors to the area, and to local tourism businesses that depend on people having access to the water.

"The loss of income could be devastating for outdoor activity providers, especially after two years of restrictions. "The wider local economy will also be affected.

"The reservoir and its watersports are a big pull for people staying here at The Lodge, and to other businesses in the area. It’s going to be a very busy year with people continuing to holiday here in Wales and the wider UK, so everything crossed that a quick solution to managing the algae can be found, and people can have safe access to the water once again."

Andy Jobling depends on the lake to run his stand-up paddle boarding business, Mavericks SUP, which starts again in April.

He said: "Because it's been our off-season it's been fine but should this go into the season it could potentially be a problem if the lake was shut. There are a lot of unanswered questions; we don't know what type it is, it could be toxic, it could be not.

"In November it was pretty bad but now I've noticed it's certainly dissipating now but it's certainly my hope as a watersports provider that it goes by the beginning of the season."

Meanwhile, Llyn Clywedog Trout Fishery manager Russ Owen said fish are not affected by the algae and anglers have not been in the water.

"We have not really been affected by the algae bloom in the Autumn which now seems to have cleared up although very concerned about this," he said.

"In the 50 years since the reservoir has been built it is the first such instance. The recent investigation on the River Wye where it had been a major issue in recent years has attributed much of the cause of blue green algae in the river to chicken manure and it seems more than a coincidence that in the past year chicken manure has been used as fertiliser on land adjacent to the top end of the reservoir.

"The fish are unaffected by the algae bloom and the anglers are not in the water so not really an issue.

"Many of the lowland reservoirs in England in the rich arable areas see such blooms through the summer months but it’s usually dealt with by asking swimmers and dogs owners to be cautious."

A spokesman for Powys County Council said that restrictions are still in place.

"Visual checks are being regularly made by Natural Resources Wales in order to determine if the level of blue green algae has reduced enough to start testing the water in order to lift the restrictions.

"There must be two consecutive samples taken at weekly intervals, below warning the threshold in order to lift restrictions.

"The Environmental Health Team have not seen anything as to the cause of the incident."

David Lee, Team Leader of Natural Resources Wales’ North-Mid Environment Team said: "We continue to check Llyn Clywedog for the presence of blue green algae which was confirmed in November 2021. 

"The algae is still present at levels of concern, particularly in the shallow parts of the reservoir.  Our investigation into why the bloom has started is ongoing and further work is planned.’’