Algae: Red-flag bathing ban lifted at north coast beaches

A red-flag bathing ban has been lifted at several beaches on the north coast following a blue-green algae warning.

Blue-green algae can cause illness in humans and can be fatal for pets.

Warnings over the bacteria were issued for Portstewart and Castlerock beaches and then extended to Downhill and Benone beach as a precaution.

The RNLI red-flag status at Benone Strand, Castlerock Beach, Portstewart Strand and Downhill Strand have now been removed with immediate effect.

A spokesperson for Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council confirmed the decision to remove the red-flag status from Benone, Castlerock and Downhill Strand on Monday.

The National Trust, which owns and operates Portstewart Strand, also announced on Twitter that the red-flag status for that beach had also been lifted.

Tests had revealed algae levels were "well below the World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline level" in water samples collected by Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera).

Earlier on Monday, some beach-goers at Benone Strand were left disappointed after not knowing that the water was off limits.

The Tierney family from County Tyrone came to the beach to celebrate Louis' seventh birthday.

Briege Tierney said it was disappointing they could not go in the water, but said there was still plenty of ways to have fun at the beach.

While Louis said he was not too bothered about missing out on a birthday swim, brother Oliver was admittedly quite disappointed.

Oliver said he was happy though that he was still be able to build sandcastles.

Andrew Graham and his children, Alice and Isaac, had travelled from Dromore, County Down, hoping to catch some waves.

"We just arrived and they came up to us and said it was red-flagged," Mr Graham said.

But Isaac made his own fun.

"I'm feeling very disappointed but I'm going to do bellyflops on the sand instead," he said.

The removal of the red-flag status means people can now enter the water again, but Daera has advised the public to remain vigilant for "pockets of blue green algae residue and scum" along the shoreline.

"People should remain careful not to let their dogs ingest such material," Daera has said.

The agency has said it will now revert back to its regular weekly monitoring of the bathing waters.

Blue-green algae is not actually an alga but rather a type of bacteria called cyanobacteria.

It can cause illness in humans but is particularly dangerous for pets and has been implicated in the deaths of several dogs in other locations where it has been detected.

Blue-green algal blooms have been detected at a number of sites across Northern Ireland during the recent good weather.