Nine bathing areas across Ireland have failed to comply with the minimum mandatory standards for water quality, according to the latest national assessment.
The Environmental Protection Agency has urged relevant local authorities to take adequate measures to resolve the problem, including providing appropriate wastewater treatment facilities.
The vast majority of the 131 bathing areas are of good quality.
Seven local authorities achieved the highest standards in all bathing areas. These were: Donegal, Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown, Kerry, Louth and Meath County Councils, and Dublin and Galway City Councils.
However, nine bathing areas failed to comply with the minimum mandatory standards - usually because of either human or animal waste.
This occurred in Balbriggan, Skerries and Sutton in north Dublin, Dunmore Strand and Dunmore East in Waterford, Clifden in Galway, Duncannon in Wexford, Killalla Ross in Mayo, Youghal in Cork and Lilliput in Westmeath.
However, the EPA added that over 80% of bathing areas met higher guideline standards, which was a 4% increase compared to the previous bathing season.
