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).

Others, meanwhile, drove virtually the full length of the beach without any apparent purpose other than to disturb the peace.

Far from seeking to prevent the practice (a simple barrier across the end of the access road would suffice), Wexford county council seems, at least tacitly, to endorse it, having erected a sign at the entrance to the beach enjoining motorists to drive carefully.

While I appreciate that parking in the village itself may be scarce at the height of the tourist season, any overspill could doubtless be accommodated by simply sectioning off and tarring a small area of beach next to the access road for that purpose, while prohibiting access to the remainder of the beach.

There are few enough places today where children can play without their parents having to worry about the dangers from cars.

Surely a blue flag beach should be one of them. All the more so in a country which is sufficiently enlightened to have outlawed smoking in public places, and which is clearly anxious to attract tourists to its famously unspoilt shores.

Mary Gorman

2B Kingston Drive

Sale

Cheshire M33 2FS

England