Man caught swimming in ‘toxic’ blue lagoon that was dyed black by Derbyshire police

A man defied warnings by the fire service to go swimming in a toxic lagoon of black water.

Derbyshire’s infamous ‘Blue Lagoon’ is an abandoned former quarry officially known as Hoffmans Quarry.   

The stagnant pool’s water is believed to have old cars, animal carcasses and even excrement beneath the surface.

The site in Buxton is now a toxic lime dump and was dyed black in the early hours of Friday morning to stop people approaching it.  

The man was said to have been abusive towards firemen when they told him not to jump in yesterday.  

Derbyshire Fire And Rescue Service tweeted last night: ‘Despite a friendly chat from one of our prevention team this person still decided a swim in toxic black water was in order.

‘What wasn’t in order was the abuse our officer, who could be called to save his life if he got into difficulty, received when trying to warn him of danger.’

It is full of harmful chemicals that can cause skin irritations, thrush and illness, with the water reportedly having the same PH value as bleach. 

The police put black dye in the ‘blue lagoon’ in Harpur Hill, Buxton, to deter gatherings

The site has been attracting hundreds of people in recent months, who see it as a picnic site rather than a poisonous lake. 

In the same threat of tweets by Derbyshire Fire And Rescue, one photo shows litter dumped next to the old quarry’s shore. 

Residents in Harpur Hill, a village that lies below the quarry, also complained on Bank Holiday Monday of abusive language, piles of litter and people urinating in gardens. 

It provoked drastic action to prevent people from visiting as High Peak Borough Council, working alongside Derbyshire Fire and Rescue, decided to dye it jet black on Friday at 5am.

The water is full of harmful chemicals that can cause skin irritations, thrush and illness, with the water reportedly having the same PH value as bleach

Group Manager Paul Hawker from Derbyshire Fire And Rescue said yesterday: ‘By swimming or even playing in or close to any water you are putting your life at risk.

‘Open water, such as Hoffman Quarry in Harpur Hill, remains cold no matter how hot the weather is.

‘This means your body can quickly go into cold water shock causing your heart rate to quicken, you start to gasp for breath and you can quickly become confused and disoriented meaning the chances of drowning increase dramatically even for the strongest of swimmers.

‘In addition to the cold water, the water at Hoffman Quarry is similar in PH value to bleach with many additional hidden dangers below the water that can also cause someone to get trapped and unable to get out.

“‘he quarry is not a place to swim and it is certainly not a tourist attraction that anyone should be visiting. Our message is quite clear, stay away and stay safe.’ 

The lagoon waters are often dyed black by police to deter swimmers from entering the waters, according to the Derbyshire Times. 

It was last dyed black by the police at the end of March in a direct response to people disobeying coronavirus lockdown rules.

This sparked backlash as the force was accused of abusing emergency powers during the pandemic.  

Former Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption criticised Derbyshire Police for having ‘shamed our policing traditions’ with ‘frankly disgraceful’ efforts of trying to shame people exercising in the countryside.

He said: ‘I have to say that the behaviour of Derbyshire Police in trying to shame people in using their undoubted right to travel to take exercise in the country and wrecking beauty spots in the fells so people don’t want to go there is frankly disgraceful.’