(DAILYMAIL) — A poisonous toxin found in freshwater lakes and reservoirs across Britain could be fuelling the country’s dementia epidemic, scientists fear.

Researchers have found the first direct evidence that a chemical, produced by algae, might be linked to a range of devastating neurological conditions including Alzheimer’s and Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

The toxin – sometimes a by-product of increasingly common blue-green algal bloom – has been found in seafood and plants, through which it is feared it enters the food chain.

Now experts have highlighted a growing body of evidence suggesting the toxin, called BMAA, could trigger brain disease in humans.