Madam, - Last weekend I took my family down to Brittas Bay. Co Wicklow for our first proper seaside visit of the summer. After reading that the beach at Brittas had once again received its blue flag, we were all expecting a great day out at one of Ireland's premier pleasure spots.
We were dismayed and disgusted to be greeted by a litter-strewn beach. Bottles, cans, dirty nappies, cartons and much more - the whole beach seemed to be one big bin. Some of the rubbish was undoubtedly washed up by recent storms, but much of it was left there by day-trippers.
There were no bins visible on the stretch where we were (the south end), which is unbelievable, but still doesn't excuse people's laziness at just leaving their refuse behind them.
Many things were going through my mind as I sat on the beach - how dirty we are as a people; how the local authorities can seemingly ignore the beach and fail to clean it regularly; how the beach received a blue flag in the first place. . .
What a shame.
- Yours, etc,
RACHEL WALKER, Putland Road, Bray, Co Wicklow.