The bathing water at a popular Co Down beach has failed to meet minimum standards, it has been revealed.
Ballyholme beach in Bangor received a classification of 'poor' in the 2022 Bathing Water Compliance report, a result the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs said was "very disappointing".
Overall, 25 of 26 bathing waters around our coast met strict standards, with the highest ever number being classed as 'Excellent'.
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But in relation to the results at Ballyholme, DAERA said it would be "redoubling our efforts and continuing to work with both NI Water and the agriculture sector to investigate the sources and to reduce water pollution".
The report showed 25 of 26 bathing waters around our coast have met strict standards for quality, with 21 of these classified as ‘Excellent’, a prerequisite for the coveted Blue Flag Award. A further three have been classified as ‘Good’ with one ‘Sufficient’.
The department said Ballyholme 'marginally failed' to meet the minimum standards.
A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs said: "This is great news for Northern Ireland’s beaches. The improvement in the number of beaches reaching the ‘Excellent’ standard is a result of effective partnership working with our stakeholders and partner agencies. Our beaches contribute to the health and well-being of locals and visitors alike and this confirmation will reassure the many people who visit our fantastic outdoor spaces safely and hopefully encourage more to do so.
"The ‘Poor’ classification at Ballyholme is, however, very disappointing. The higher bacterial counts happened after wet weather events when our waters experienced pressures from both waste water overflows and from farm runoff. We are determined to see improvement here and we will be redoubling our efforts and continuing to work with both NI Water and the agriculture sector to investigate the sources and to reduce water pollution."
The 2022 results are:
Excellent Quality
Ballycastle
Ballygally
Ballyhornan
Ballywalter
Brown’s Bay
Castlerock
Cloughey
Cranfield
Crawfordsburn
Groomsport
Kilclief
Magilligan Benone
Magilligan Downhill
Millisle
Murlough ( Co Down )
Portballintrae Salmon Rock
Portrush Curran (East Strand)
Portrush Mill (West Strand)
Portrush Whiterocks
Portstewart
Tyrella
Good Quality
Carnlough
Helen’s Bay
Waterfoot
Sufficient Quality
Newcastle
Poor Quality
Ballyholme
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