It has affected ice-cream makers, swamped home-owners and soured the cider market, now Northern Ireland's washout summer has landed right on its beaches. The "summer of sludge" has left the shifting sands dirtier than ever, with raw sewage to be found on normally clean beaches.
A Marine Conservation Society (MCS) report has stated that Newcastle, Ballyholme and Carnlough have all missed EU standards as a result of storms sweeping raw sewage and rubbish out to sea and then back onto the sand. For a beach to fail these standards, it must have more than one of the 10 water samples taken not reaching EC mandatory levels for total coliform and faecal coliform bacteria. The MCS has recommended that the Government provides information on bathing beaches to advise swimmers that coastal waters can be temporarily affected by increased pollution, with a consequent risk to bathers' health, after heavy rain. They have also suggested that the sewer system needs to be expanded to handle large volumes of storm water, and that failing sewer outfalls be improved.
This year there have been thousands of tourists visiting the province, with an increase in hotel room occupancy for May of 4% on last year. In 2006, there were 1,983,000 visits generating £373 million for the local economy. The Northern Ireland Tourist Board are therefore keen to point out that despite this latest report, beaches were still pretty much of a high standard. A spokesperson commented, "Northern Ireland has some excellent beaches which are enjoyed by visitors all year round, with 20 out of 23 tested achieving a good standard or pass. Just recently eight beaches and two marinas were awarded Blue Flag status. We are continuing to work with a range of partners to ensure high standards at all our visitor attractions."
