Call for probe into swimming ban at beaches

The lifting of an unprecedented swimming and surfing ban imposed on three beaches in Co Clare has led to calls for a full investigation.

On Friday, Clare County Council and the HSE slapped a ban on entering the water at Lahinch, Kilkee, and Spanish Point after traces of E-coli were discovered during routine sampling.

While samples taken on Wednesday showed levels to be within mandatory safe limits, the council and HSE nonetheless decided to impose the ban, saying it would take 48 hours for the results of additional tests to be available.

Those results were not expected until late yesterday. However, the ban was lifted a day early on Saturday after samples showed that the bacterial levels had dropped significantly.

The council had blamed water runoff from the “excessive and sustained rainfall of the past two months” for the elevated bacterial levels, while an improvement in weather conditions over recent days has been cited as the main contributory factor to the positive results.

Michael Vaughan, whose Lahinch hotel suffered cancellations from several surfers following the ban, is concerned that the town’s ageing sewerage infrastructure could be behind the problem.

Mr Vaughan, who is also the president of the Irish Hotels Federation, said: “It’s obviously good that the ban has been lifted but a lot of damage has been done and we would all be concerned that this could happen again.

“I think the EPA should be called in to investigate what has happened here and if it is found that the sewerage system in Lahinch is at fault, measures should be taken immediately to resolve those issues.

“We have been very concerned about the sewer network for many years,” he added.

Questions have also been asked about how the matter has been handled, with the authorities being accused of an over-reaction.

Hundreds of swimmers, paddlers, and surfers ignored warnings and still took to the water during the best weather the county had seen for weeks.

North Clare-based Fine Gael senator Martin Conway said: “I have to ask whether there has been an over-reaction by the authorities here.

“Why weren’t other beaches affected? There are several beaches between Kilkee and Lahinch, and apart from Spanish Point, swimming wasn’t banned at any of these.

“I will be looking for a full and detailed report, particularly from the HSE, on what has happened here,” Mr Conway said.

The coveted Blue Flag status at both Lahinch and Kilkee was temporarily revoked until bacterial levels returned to normal limits.