MILNSBRIDGE and Paddock residents got a shock after the canal turned a very bright shade of green.

The discolouration was first noticed on Thursday when part of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in the village went from its usual dirty grey/brown colour to vivid green.

And this weekend it is still evident with Examiner readers getting in touch to say they had seen the dyed section of the canal at the bottom end of Paddock near The Griffin at Manchester Road.

Huddersfield Narrow Canal, which was bright green at Birkhouse Lane between Manchester Road and The Triangle, Paddock

However, any fears of pollution are almost certainly misplaced as a similar phenomenon occurred in May 2011 when it turned out that British Waterways staff had pumped a dye into the canal to help them with engineering works, having lowered water levels.

The colour is identical to that which appeared then.

Huddersfield Narrow Canal, off Manchester Road, takes on a bright green hue

A spokesman at the time said: “The dye is biodegradable and totally harmless to wildlife and plants in the waterway. It is used to allow engineers to check for leaks and water flow.”

The strange colour provoked plenty of quips on Facebook with someone joking: “Meltdown at a nuclear reactor upstream” while another said: “Paddy’s Day celebrations starting early.”

No-one from British Waterways was available for comment.