The beach closest to Cork City and a well-known one in East Cork could be closed next summer due to an EU directive on water quality.

Sharon Corcoran, the county councils director of environmental services, has signalled that under new EU rules water quality checks on beaches had to be averaged out over the past four years and as a result this might mean Fountainstown and Claycastle, Youghal could closed to swimmers.

The council has been correlating its own tests on both beaches and although the official figures wont be released by An Taisce until next April, Ms Corcoran said water quality on them was vulnerable.

If the closures occur it will represent a second blow for Youghal tourism.

Last month the county council said the towns Front Strand would be closed to swimmers next summer because of poor water pollution levels.

The European Commission has introduced new directives which mean if the water quality is poor then we will have close the beach. A number of member nations are objecting to this, but as far as we are aware at minimum we may have to put up notices advising people not to swim on these beaches, said Ms Corcoran.

She said it was possible the EU may demand the beach be closed completely, but she was awaiting Department of the Environment guidance on this. She said Fountainstowns problems were due to intensive agriculture and heavy rain washing slurry into the bay. Holiday home septic tanks compounded the issue, she said.

Raised e-coli bacteria levels have also caused problems in Youghal as a result of animal waste washing down the Blackwater Valley. There is no adequate waste water treatment plant serving the towns human population. This is a contributory factor.

That should be addressed because a new sewerage treatment plant should be commissioned in the town by the end of 2016, Ms Corcoran said.

Cllr Tim Lombard (FG) who lives near Fountainstown, said that he was very concerned that tourist-related businesses will seriously suffer from beach closures.

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Bathing ban risk at beaches next summer