Beaches in danger of losing Blue Flag status

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

A number of the countrys best known beaches are expected to lose their Blue Flag status as a result of the devastation caused by recent storms.

Kilkee: Blue flag beach

By Dan Buckley

There are serious concerns for some candidate Blue Flag and Green Coast Award beaches that have been devastated by the recent storms particularly where infrastructure such as access roads, car parks and other amenities have been destroyed, said Annabel FitzGerald, manager of An Taisces coastal programmes.

These are among the 32 imperative criteria required to achieve Blue Flag status. The application deadline for applying for Blue Flag status was last December, before the worst of the storms hit.

Starting next week, we will be visiting a large number of beaches and it is likely that a number of them will have to have their applications for Blue Flag status withdrawn, said Ms FitzGerald.

This is the first time we have to do this but these storms are unprecedented. Every year there are some issues raised with one or two beaches, but never to this extent.

While she was reluctant to name any beach likely to lose its flag, she said she had written to local authorities nationwide, asking them to fill out a register of infrastructural damage.

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Beaches in danger of losing Blue Flag status