Beach drivers should be shown the blue flag

AS an Irish person living abroad for a number of years, I was dismayed, on a recent visit to Co Wexford, to discover that the time-honoured practice of allowing cars to drive on Irish beaches is still alive and well.

What would otherwise have been a most enjoyable morning spent on the strand in Duncannon - a blue flag beach, as the local authorities lose no opportunity to remind us - was marred by frequent incursions from cars, forcing me to interrupt my two young children’s play to ensure their safety.

Most of the drivers travelled a relatively short distance before parking, presumably in order to be as close as possible to their final destination (although it must be said that none of the occupants of the cars showed obvious signs of physical infirmity).