Ballygally: Mid and East Antrim Council issues update after swimmers urged not to go in the water at popular Co Antrim beach

It follows a call on on Saturday for people to stay out of the water completely due to health concerns.

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council said in a social media post that it had been notified by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) that a recent bathing water sample at Ballygally “has failed to meet standards”.

The local authority issued temporary advice urged people not to enter the water until samples return to an acceptable level.

It issued an update on Sunday afternoon to say that a sample taken on Saturday “meets the bathing water standards for faecal indicator bacteria”.

A council spokesperson said: “The rise in bacteria may have been caused by the heavy rain we have had over the last few days

"We would always advise extra caution when swimming after heavy rain due to the risk of contamination. Good hygiene is always recommended, washing hands and face and try not to ingest sea water.”

DAERA will continue to monitor the bathing waters until September 15.

Ballygally is one of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s five bathing waters - designating a bathing water is an official way of recognising that a body of water is a popular site for swimming or paddling.

DAERA is responsible for monitoring and making sure these waters are of high enough quality for people to enjoy and are classified either as excellent, good, satisfactory or that temporary advice is issued against bathing.

The council said the World Health Organisation set these standards based on research. The water is tested for two types of bacteria Q: E.coli and intestinal enterococci, which usually enter the water from sewage and animal manure

It added that heavy rainfalls can cause a drop in water quality and situations can change quickly.