Coast Guard asks the public to stay away from cargo ship washed up in Cork

The Coast Guard is asking people to stay away from a 2,200-tonne cargo ship found washed up in Cork after Storm Denis.

The Alta's 10 crew abandoned it in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean 16 months ago after its engines failed.

Nobody was on board when it ran aground about 2km west of Ballycotton yesterday.

Meanwhile, Cork County Council will inspect the cargo ship today.

It will view it in daylight from a land vantage point to access it further.

It believes the vessel was most likely diesel fuelled which poses less risk of pollution than heavy fuel oil.

The council doesn't believe this wreck is a risk to the Special Area of Conservation within the Ballymacoda/Ballycotton area.