It’s not pretty in pink.
A UK man was filled with “sadness” after stumbling across a neon pink lake, which he believed might’ve been caused by industrial pollution — but the causes are au natural.
“I was taken aback by it as I haven’t seen anything like it before,” Barry Knight, 61, told South West News Service.
The elderly Brit had encountered the peculiarly hued water body while walking the King Charles III England coast path, near Queenborough in Sheppey, Kent, on Aug. 22.
He had planned the trek on the 21-mile path, which runs from Queenbrough to Laysdown, when he was stopped in his tracks by the sight.
“I was about half an hour into the walk and then I saw it,” Knight recalled. “I thought, ‘Oh, my goodness, a pink lake, are my eyes deceiving me? It must be pretty rare.’
“Around the water, there was a load of rubbish and also a car turned over on its side at the back.”
Accompanying photos show the lake, which is 213 feet long and bright pink like Pepto Bismol with a blue hue ringing the rim.
And while the retiree was aware of the existence of naturally pink lakes, the phenomenon is not common in the UK, leading Knight to believe that the neon pond had been artificially dyed.
“It’s sad, really, as I thought, ‘This is not natural,’” said the walker. “I thought it was man-made — the area seemed ex-industrial.
“There was also an unnatural, unpleasant, a bit sulphur-like smell coming from it, but I don’t know if I was just imagining because of the color,” added Knight, who had never walked the area before.
The peculiar sight filled him with “sadness.”
Despite the peculiar pigment, the bubble gum basin was not the byproduct of industrial runoff or other unnatural causes.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said the coloring is a natural phenomenon that is caused by “naturally occurring algae or bacteria.”
That process is generally more common in the summer due to the sweltering temps, bringing new meaning to “hot pink.”
Nonetheless, they warned that “high concentrations of algae can be harmful, so people and animals should try to avoid contact with the water or scum.”
Australia is home to multiple pink lakes, which are about 10 times saltier than the ocean, attracting algae and bacteria, according to Livescience.
The microorganisms produce beta-carotene — a red-orange pigment that also gives carrots, crayfish and flamingos their characteristic colors — effectively turning water into “rosé.”
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