Wicklow Sinn Féin TD, John Brady, has strongly criticised Uisce Éireann following their admission of a serious failure in their systems, which resulted in raw sewage being pumped onto North Beach in Bray for 4 days over the Christmas period. He has called for urgent action to prevent a recurrence, highlighting the significant environmental and public health risks posed by the discharge.
Speaking after meeting with Uisce Éireann representatives Deputy Brady said:
“The serious issue that occurred over the Christmas period on the North Beach in Bray where an electrical failure at the Corke Abbey pumping station resulted in thousands of litres of raw sewage flowing onto the beach. This went unnoticed by Uisce Éireann for 4 days, until I lodged an official complaint with the local authority, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Uisce Éireann itself.
It has emerged that several emails reporting this serious issue were also never picked up by Uisce Éireann, further exposing major flaws in their communication and oversight systems. This led to a substantial amount of raw sewage being discharged onto the beach, creating not only an environmental hazard but also a serious risk to the many people who use the area for swimming, walking, and other recreational activities.
Uisce Éireann has acknowledged multiple failures that contributed to the incident. These include an electrical failure that directly caused the discharge, a failure in their alarm system that should have detected the issue, and a failure in their response mechanisms that resulted in a delayed reaction.
The situation is completely unacceptable, such fundamental flaws in Uisce Éireann’s infrastructure and operational procedures cannot be allowed to persist.
I made the official complaints regarding this incident, yet Uisce Éireann failed to respond until after my intervention.
On top of that, multiple emails reporting this serious issue were ignored, which is totally unacceptable. This was not just a single failure—it was a complete breakdown of their systems at every level, from detection to response. A failure of this magnitude poses a serious risk to public health and the environment, and urgent action is needed to ensure it never happens again.
Following my intervention, Uisce Éireann has informed me that new measures have been put in place to prevent a similar incident in the future. These include an upgraded alarm system designed to detect any failures immediately and improved response procedures to ensure swift action is taken and the public is promptly notified.
Despite these assurances, I believe that further scrutiny is required to guarantee the effectiveness of these new measures. There needs to be regular testing and monitoring of Uisce Éireann’s systems to ensure they are robust and fit for purpose. There also needs to be greater transparency from the company, any future failures must be reported immediately to the relevant authorities and the public.
This was an entirely preventable incident that caused serious environmental damage and posed a risk to public health. It is completely unacceptable that it took an official complaint for Uisce Éireann to even become aware of the issue. If proper monitoring and response mechanisms had been in place, this situation could have been avoided.
We need to ensure that Uisce Éireann is held accountable and that the new systems they have promised are effective. This beach is used by families, swimmers, walkers, and visitors. It is vital that people can enjoy it safely, without the risk of exposure to raw sewage. I will continue to push for stronger protections and oversight to make sure that an incident like this never happens again.”
Deputy Brady concluded by saying “I am calling on the EPA to conduct a full review of the incident, including a detailed examination of Uisce Éireann’s handling of the situation. We need to ensure there is proper accountability and preventative measures must be a priority, as similar failures elsewhere could have devastating consequences for other communities across the country.” Ends
For more information contact: Deputy John Brady 085-8546464
