Council hopeful Ennell ban lifted 'within days'

Westmeath County Council are “optimistic” that the bathing ban at Lilliput will be lifted “in the coming days”.

The council issued a temporary bathing ban on Friday last, July 18, after tests revealed that water quality at the popular Lough Ennell bathing spot was below the minimum EU standards. The samples were taken from the lake on Monday and Tuesday of last week.

The council issued a statement on Friday that it “suspects that a discharge from an on-site waste water treatment plant is the likely cause of this event – measures have been taken, including the tankering off-site of all wastewaters to eliminate the source/ cause of pollution.”

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner yesterday, Monday, afternoon, a council spokesman said that while the ban remains in place the council was “optimistic” that Lilliput will be open to bathers again “quite quickly” as ongoing testing has shown that “levels are dropping fast”.

The public are advised to check the council’s website for updates.