Urgent warning to swimmers as popular Irish beach declared no-swim zone over water fears

IRISH swimmers are being urged to stay clear of a popular Dublin beach this summer – as it’s classified as a “poor” water spot.

With temperatures rising, officials have declared Sandymount Strand as a no-swim zone for the entire season over water fears.

While many people like to take a dip during the summer months, this hotspot failed water-quality tests.

Over a four year period of testing, Dublin City Council reported that the main sources of pollution are from “contaminated streams which flow into the sea near the bathing water, misconnections, sewage discharges and faeces from dogs and birds”.

Cllr James Geoghegan told The Irish Sun: “It’s disappointing that once again it has been identified that the Sandymount Strand as having poor water quality.

“Residents have complained about smells around the area for months.

“We are constantly told by Irish Water, and others, that it is caused by a rotting form of seaweed, rather than something that might be polluting the sea.”

The Fine Gael councilor confirmed he has a motion down for the Dublin Bay South council meeting next week to “tackle these myths once and for all”.

Geoghegan continued: “There is a clear connection between the release of untreated sewage by Irish Water into the sea by the wastewater plant and the swim ban.

“These releases increase the nutrients that accelerate the growth of this foul smelling seaweed that is also not good for swimming.

“The swimming ban proves that the primary cause of all this is how and when untreated sewage is released into the sea from Irish Water.”

Sandymount Strand was declared to have poor water quality last year consequently, a Bathing Prohibition will apply for the summer this year.

Labor councilor Dermot Lacey said: “I played and swam in Sandymount when I was a child and it is disgraceful that children of today do not have that same opportunity

“I think it is a real pity and results from the overall strategy of dealing with the Bay through multiple agencies.”

Lacey added: “We need better controls of dogs on the Beach and we need the Northside Waste Water Treatment Plant built as it was promised over twenty years ago.

“Save our Strand was painted on the old sea baths when I was a child. That now needs to be modified to Save our Bay.”

Green Party Councilor Hazel Chu told the Irish Independent that the situation is “ridiculous”.

She said: “It’s ridiculous because we’ve got a great amenity there but we’re not allowed to swim in it.

“It smells as well, it smells of sewage, there’s algae in there, dog poo was one of the big polluters.

Read more on the Irish Sun

“It’s a combination of things like drainage infrastructure too. It’d be good to make progress on this, but instead we are going backwards.”

We have contacted Dublin City Council for comment.