Blue Flag beaches under threat over lifeguard hiring ban

IRELAND’S cleanest beaches will lose their coveted Blue Flag status unless the Government does a U-turn on public service recruitment and allows local authorities employ lifeguards for the summer season.

The blanket ban on permanent and temporary recruitment forbids councils from employing extra staff, including lifeguards and others associated with proper beach management.

A number of local authorities have already applied for a dispensation from the ban but none, so far, has been given the final go-ahead.