Popular bathing area closed due to sewage spill  

A sign for social distancing on Portmarnock Beach, Dublin, as the warm weather continues.

A popular beach in Dublin is closed to swimmers following a sewage spill last night.

A sewage spill on Portmarnock's Velvet Strand was confirmed by Fingal County Council last night with warnings of potential contamination of bathing water for a further 72 hours.

A video from 1 hr ago of a fisherman trawling right where raw sewage has been spewing into the sea for approx 48 hours in Portmarnock, right in the malahide shellfish grounds. The stream in the foreground was formed by the sewage flowing. . @EPACatchments @EPABeaches @FSAIinfo pic.twitter.com/iagQ2IWQ69

— Sabrina Joyce-Kemper SJK (@kemper_sabrina) September 25, 2020

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage - Dublin Fingal Deputy Darragh O'Brien says he was made aware of the problem by local swimmers who posted a video online.

"I made contact straight away with Irish Water and Fingal Council. These types of things we don't want to see, it's disturbing to see. I'm glad to srr it addressed but frank;y it shouldn't happen."