North Coast bathing waters situation improves but caution still advised

The red flag advice against bathing at Portstewart, Castlerock, Downhill and Benone beaches on the North Coast was removed on Monday but DAERA says that there may still be small pockets of the algae in the water.

In a statement, DAERA said: “Samples taken by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) throughout the weekend from the bathing waters in Portstewart, Castlerock, Downhill and Benone, show that the Blue-Green Algae has now dispersed and the waters are safe to bathe in.

"The local bathing water operators have confirmed that all red flag warnings have now been removed. However, small pockets of scum and residue of the algae may still be on the shoreline and people should remain careful not to let their dogs ingest such material.

"DAERA will now revert to its regular weekly monitoring of the bathing waters. If you suspect there is blue-green algae, report it on the Bloomin' Algae App: The Bloomin’ Algae App helps make reporting of blue-green algae easier and quicker, allowing environmental experts to respond faster and issue public warnings more efficiently.

"It enables users to submit a photo of an algae bloom on their mobile device, along with the location and activities taking place in the associated waters. Bloomin’ Algae App is free to download directly from Google Play or App Store. Find out more at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology website(external link opens in a new window / tab) www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/projects/bloomin-algae

"If you don’t have Bloomin Algae App – email photos to NIEA: Report the bloom to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. You can report any suspected blooms, including photos and details of location, to our e-mail [email protected] or make contact through our incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.”

The Department have issued photos of Blue-Green Algae taken from the north coast over the weekend to demonstrate what the public should look for. Photo 2 shows a comparison between a typical green marine algae, which should not be confused for the blue-green/grey residues associated with Blue-Green Algae.