SWIMMING HAS BEEN banned for the entirety of the bathing season at Sandymount Strand, while a temporary ban is in place at Dollymount Strand.

This year’s bathing season runs from 1 June to 15 September.

A swimming restriction is in place at Sandymount Strand for the entirety of the bathing season due to poor water quality.

The water has been deemed to be poor based on 2021-2024 bathing assessments and as a result, a restriction has been imposed to prevent bathers from exposure to pollution.

Meanwhile, a temporary restriction is in place at Dollymount Strand.

This ban was put in place on Tuesday but swimming is due to resume there tomorrow.

This temporary ban was enacted due to water quality deteriorating due to suspected sewage discharge from a waste water treatment plant or sewer network.

Dublin City Council said this discharge is likely the result of recent heavy rainfall.

The ban is expected to be lifted to allow swimming to resume tomorrow, but the water has to be resampled and the HSE has to be consulted with before this can happen.

Deputy Lord Mayor, and Green Party councillor, Donna Cooney remarked that the restrictions are “disgraceful at the start of bathing season”.

Meanwhile, Labour MEP for Dublin Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has called for a stronger framework to protect Dublin’s bay.

“More and more, warnings and bans are issued following sewage runoff which is just not acceptable,” said Ó Ríordáin.

“No swim notices are becoming more and more common after heavy rainfall, so why has this Government failed to put a framework in place to deal with this persistent structural issue?”

He said Labour has “long proposed a solution to the problem” in its Dublin Bay Bill, which would establish an authority to preserve and protect the Bay.

“I’m urging Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to stop neglecting our great city,” added Ó Ríordáin.

Water quality is regularly monitored throughout the bathing season and it is tested for E.coli and Intestinal Enterococci.

Dublin City Council also monitors water quality throughout the year, outside of the bathing season, on a fortnightly basis.