Signs warning beachgoers of dangerous currents and quicksand are to be put up in three Dublin beaches following a spate of rescues over the weekend.
Yesterday we told how an exhausted teen was forced to cling to a buoy near Cush Point at the mouth of Baldoyle Bay until he was picked up by lifeguards from Howth.
The boy was one of seven rescue operations carried out by busy lifeboat crews along the north Dublin coast just last weekend.
Now a local councillor has ordered additional signs to be erected at Sutton, Portmarnock and Baldoyle before a tragedy occurs.
The beaches at Burrow in Sutton and Portmarnock's Velvet Strand are notoriously deceptive - and appear as though they run into one another at low tide.
Several people have been caught out trying to cross from Baldoyle and Sutton over to Portmarnock beach, a route locals say they frequently have to warn strangers and daytrippers against in the summer months.
During the June bank holiday, Coastguard helicopter R117 was needed to rescue a group of people who were trying to cross the estuary from the Burrow Beach in Sutton to Portmarnock, which we reported on live on our Facebook page.
In that incident, two young people had to be winched to safety after the tide came in and caught the group off guard.
The latest near misses prompted Social Democrats councillor Joan Hopkins to order new signs to be put up to highlight the dangers posed by strong currents and quicksand in the area.
Cllr Hopkins posted: "I’ve ordered additional signage from Fingal County Council for three areas; Sutton, Portmarnock and Baldoyle.
"Burrow Beach in Sutton and Baldoyle Estuary have very strong currents. Also, you cannot cross at low tide on foot from one beach to another, it’s too dangerous [and] you can be caught in quick sand."
Cllr Hopkins also asked locals warn people new to the area or visiting of the dangers posed by both quicksand, fast-changing tides and strong currents.
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