Sir, – The article "Swimmers warned not to bathe at three south Dublin beaches" (June 30th) about E.coli contamination was unsettling. If this was a country in a less developed part of the world, we would be telling ourselves how lucky we are not to live there. Unfortunately this is Ireland in 2017, and it is nothing short of a disgrace. The comment from Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council that the last prohibition notice was issued last January makes the problem seem infrequent. But as a regular sea swimmer all year round it is my experience, and that of my fellow swimmers, that after any period of heavy rain, the quality of the sea water deteriorates very noticeably, with visible debris floating in it.
The prevailing folk wisdom is that overflow from waste-water courses is allowed into the sea on these occasions. Whatever the cause, it should be investigated by an independent third-party agency.
Also, at the risk of being held hostage in my car, are there dots to be joined between the reality of paying for water services and a contamination-free waste water system that keeps human and animal waste out of our seas? – Yours, etc,
KEVIN MURPHY,
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Dalkey,
Co Dublin.