Four beaches, two in Wicklow and one each in Sligo and Dublin, lost their Blue Flag status in the 2003 awards presented by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, yesterday.
The news was a major disappointment for Wicklow, particularly as both flags related to Brittas Bay, a major east coast resort. Wicklow County Council claimed yesterday that standards had dipped only in May 2002 and had measured up to Blue Flag requirements on each testing since then.
Mr Cullen described the loss of Blue Flags at Brittas Bay as a matter of regret, but later told The Irish Times through his spokesman that additional money was being provided to the county for sewage infrastructure in the Brittas Bay area. Attempts to contact a representative of Wicklow Tourism were not successful.
Mr Damien Brennan for Sligo Tourism said the loss of a Blue Flag for Enniscrone - also known as Inniscrone - was a disappointment, but he felt sure it related to service facilities such as toilets, rather than the water quality of the Atlantic resort. Sligo had lost a Blue Flag at Mullaghmore in 2001 and had won it back, and Mr Brennan felt sure the council would be doing all that was required to win back the Enniscrone flag next year. A spokesman for Sligo County Council also expressed disappointment and said it was awaiting a detailed report from An Taisce outlining the reasons for the decision.
Sampling has already started for the 2003 season, and test results so far meet the Blue Flag criteria.
No application was received for the beach at Portrane in Dublin, which would not have met Blue Flag water-quality requirements.
The beach was not in compliance with the guideline on faecal streptococci.
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