Ballyholme: ‘Major’ pollution incident at popular beach

Of Northern Ireland’s 26 bathing sites, Ballyholme beach was the only one not to meet minimum standards for water quality in 2023.

It was the second year in a row that the site had failed water quality tests.

In 2024, Ballyholme received a designation of “sufficient”, the lowest possible rating that still meets minimum standards.

To determine water quality, 20 samples are collected from each site to check for faecal indicator organisms – that is used to assess how much the water has been contaminated by sewage.

Visual assessments were also carried out during each sampling visit to assess for pollution including waste, proliferation of seaweed, or algal scums and blooms.