Access will be restricted to Barleycove beach this summer following damage caused to the floating pontoon there in May.
The bridge that links the beach with the public car park across the channel was partly overturned during the freak tidal surge while members of the public were walking across it and has been closed ever since.
The Irish Examiner reports that the only safe public access to the beach is through the private car park of the Barleycove Beach Hotel at the western side of the beach, more than half an hour’s walk from the public car park.
The County Council has been unable to give a date for the pontoon’s reinstatement as consultants are assessing the best options available.
It's understood that the finding a long-term solution will be challenging as it is adjacent to a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) as well as being a major tourist location and the area is subject to changeable weather conditions
