Rotting seaweed at the seafront is causing a stink for Carrickfergus residents, Mid and East Antrim councillors have been told.
Speaking at a meeting of the borough council’s Neighbourhoods and Communities Committee, on Tuesday evening, Carrick Castle DUP Alderman Billy Ashe MBE said residents “across the road have been complaining bitterly about the smell coming through the sewers”.
Ald Ashe went on to say it has also resulted in open water swimmers travelling from Carrick to locations such as Portmuck in Islandmagee instead of a “destination area” such as Fisherman’s Quay “on their doorstep”.
“I just do not understand how we have got ourselves into this scenario,” he stated.
An officer told the meeting Fisherman’s Quay was assessed five times for “designated bathing water” status. She indicated criteria requires there to be 45 bathers or 100 beach users at any given time, reporting that only 26 bathers have been recorded.
She pointed out the council has “no obligation” regarding seaweed removal as the location is “not a designated bathing water”. She noted the beach topography has “changed over the years” and described Belfast Lough as “a whirlpool”.
Commenting on the required number of swimmers, Ald Ashe said, “There are people in the water, especially during the summer, all the time. It is not that long since council erected signs to ask jet skiers and bathers to stay on opposite sides of the quay for health and safety reasons.”
He queried whether or not it is a case of the required number of swimmers being present at the same time or during the course of the day.
The officer explained the Department (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) does a “spot check”, although it was a “snapshot over a number of hours but was spaced out”, during the bathing water season.
She remarked that Drains Bay outside Larne is “very popular now”. “We are aware that Whitehead would like to be reviewed,” she continued.
Ald Ashe proposed the council should start clearing the seaweed at Carrick seafront to “stop the smell and allow people to start using the water again and go forward with the review rather than ending up with the sea water causing a health hazard and stigmatising the area”.
Carrick Castle Alliance Councillor Lauren Gray asked if there is any signage to “let people know it is an area that is not 100 per cent OK to swim in and because it is a man-made area, the problem is just going to continue to occur. It is going to be a big effort to keep that cleared.”
The officer replied: “We do not sample it. We do know there is an outfall from NI Water. There is a big focus on what happens with our waste water. We do not have a remit to put signage up. Seaweed is an ongoing problem.”
Coast Road Alliance Ald Gerardine Mulvenna said: “It is good to see that Carnlough and Portmuck have been upgraded. That is very positive.,”