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05/11/2003
Local beaches given clean bill of health
All 16 of Northern Ireland's beaches have passed the 2003 EU bathing water tests, placing them ahead of the rest of the UK.
A spokesman for the Department of the Environment said the results showed a welcome improvement on last year and that it was an excellent result for Northern Ireland beaches, providing a welcome boost for tourism in many coastal resorts.
"The long spell of dry weather during the summer months has played a key part in ensuring a high level of bathing water quality," he added.
Under the EC Bathing Water Directive 76/160/EEC, Member States are required to identify bathing waters at which bathing is traditionally practised by large numbers of bathers, and to monitor the quality of those waters for the prescribed parameters.
There are two standards in the Directive used to classify waters; the mandatory standards and the tighter guideline standards.
The latter is indicative of excellent water quality and this is the standard of water quality required for the prestigious Blue Flag Award.
(MB)
A spokesman for the Department of the Environment said the results showed a welcome improvement on last year and that it was an excellent result for Northern Ireland beaches, providing a welcome boost for tourism in many coastal resorts.
"The long spell of dry weather during the summer months has played a key part in ensuring a high level of bathing water quality," he added.
Under the EC Bathing Water Directive 76/160/EEC, Member States are required to identify bathing waters at which bathing is traditionally practised by large numbers of bathers, and to monitor the quality of those waters for the prescribed parameters.
There are two standards in the Directive used to classify waters; the mandatory standards and the tighter guideline standards.
The latter is indicative of excellent water quality and this is the standard of water quality required for the prestigious Blue Flag Award.
(MB)
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Northern Ireland WeatherThis Evening and Tonight:It will be cloudy with a spell of heavy rain pushing south through late evening and the early hours, soon followed by some clear spells. Minimum temperature 6 °C.
