This spectacular stretch of salt flats with a bright blue canal has become a tourist destination - but officials have warned selfie-seekers to stay away.

The stunning street that flows through the Bonneville Salt Flats went unnoticed by tourism officers in Utah until photographer Matt Newey posted a snap of it online last year.

After its ‘discovery,' more Instagram influencers flocked to the area - swimming and kayaking along the attraction - in a bid to capture content for their own feed.

As thousands visited the site, government officials were prompted to issue a statement saying that the canals were formed as a result of an industrial facility and ‘are not designed or safe for public recreation'.

Utah's Bureau of Land Management said: ‘The canals are industrial facilities leased to Intrepid Potash for potash mining activities and are not designed or safe for public recreation.

‘Therefore, the public should not access, swim, float, kayak, canoe, or pursue any other recreation activities in these industrial canals.'

The canal is leased to salt mining company Intrepid Potash which uses it as a drainage ditch.

However, influencers who have gone to the attraction should not worry about chemical exposure as University of Utah geologist Brenda Bowen explained that the water in the canal is not toxic.

She told local media: ‘The water is not toxic. This is not to say you should drink it or really even swim in it, but it is definitely not filled with carcinogens.'

Officials were also concerned about visitors illegally parking next to the canal. The Utah Highway Patrol also said that currently ‘there is no lawful way to access the canal'.

The statement added: ‘There is no lawful way to access the canal from the interstate. To lawfully access the canal, one would need to park at the rest area and hike the nearly three miles from the rest area to the canal.'