'Major' pollution incident at popular NI beach

Ballyholme Bay in Bangor, County Down

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) is investigating a pollution incident at a County Down river that flows into one of Northern Ireland's bathing beaches.

The NIEA confirmed that it has received a report of pollution in the Cotton River in Bangor and a water quality inspector was tasked to investigate.

It said that the pollution was confirmed and an investigation to determine the source was underway.

The river flows into the sea at Ballyholme Bay.

'Major slurry spill'

Green Party Councillor Lauren Kendall described the incident as a "major slurry spill".

In a post on social media she said that "council officers have this evening put up signs in the vicinity of Ballyholme to warn bathers".

Alex Ward said he would be avoiding the beach while taking his dog for a walk

Local resident Alex Ward said as he was walking his dogs in the area he "noticed a smell hitting me" and "quite a lot of foam washing up on the beach".

Mr Ward said that he was going to avoid the beach and take his dogs elsewhere.

He urged the authorities to investigate the sources of pollution on the beach, which he said was a regular occurrence when there was heavy rain.

The Cotton River flows into the sea at Ballyholme

Of Northern Ireland's 26 bathing sites, Ballyholme beach was the only one not to meet minimum standards for water quality in 2023.

It was the second year in a row that the site had failed water quality tests.

In 2024, Ballyholme received a designation of "sufficient", the lowest possible rating that still meets minimum standards.

To determine water quality, 20 samples are collected from each site to check for faecal indicator organisms - that is used to assess how much the water has been contaminated by sewage.

Visual assessments were also carried out during each sampling visit to assess for pollution including waste, proliferation of seaweed, or algal scums and blooms.

In October, it was announced that a study to investigate water quality at Ballyholme Beach in Bangor has been extended until February 2025 to better understand water pollution in the winter season.

The purpose of the study is to pinpoint the primary sources of pollution that are negatively affecting water quality in the region.

Angela Halpenny, NI Water Head of Environmental Regulation, said that the Cotton River is "the likely source of pollution in Ballyholme Bay".

She said that "preliminary results have typically shown high levels of E. coli and enterococci in the Cotton River but not in the marine environment of Ballyholme Bay".