Bathing ban risk at beaches next summer

The beach closest to Cork City and a well-known one in East Cork could be closed next summer due to an EU directive on water quality.

Sharon Corcoran, the county council’s director of environmental services, has signalled that under new EU rules water quality checks on beaches had to be averaged out over the past four years and as a result this might mean Fountainstown and Claycastle, Youghal could closed to swimmers.

The council has been correlating its own tests on both beaches and although the official figures won’t be released by An Taisce until next April, Ms Corcoran said water quality on them was “vulnerable”.