Swimming can resume at County Antrim beach

People can resume swimming at Ballygally beach in Country Antrim after being advised not to due to a rise in bacteria.

In a post on social media, the Mid and East Antrim council's outdoors group said that they had been notified by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) that Saturday's sample had met "bathing water standards."

It follows advice from the council earlier this weekend that said people should not enter the water due to water quality not meeting standards.

The post suggested the rise in the bacteria could have been due to the heavy rain over the last few days.

The council said the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (daera) will continue to monitor the situation until September 15th.

However, they also advised that the public take extra caution when swimming after heavy rain due to the risk of contamination.

Good hygiene is always recommended, washing hands and face and try not to ingest sea water."

Usually 'excellent'

For the 2023 season, Ballygally received an "excellent" classification as a result of this testing.

Sampling for faecal indicator bacteria takes place every week at designated bathing sites across Northern Ireland from the end of May until mid-September.

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