Mystery surrounds closure of paddling pool after sparkling blue water turns grotesque green: Officials in the dark as summer splash cancelled amid pollution fears

Normally the open-air facility on the seafront at Donaghadee would be packed with delighted children in this weather, as the combination of blazing heat and the school holidays brings families to the Co Down town eager to have a summer splash.

But this week all that was cancelled when the water turned a sickly colour, with parents demanding action be taken while complaining that children had taken ill after going into it.

Late on Tuesday afternoon, the area council publicly warned people not to use the paddling pool at Lemons Wharf “as a precaution”, adding it was going to send in workmen to tackle the issue that evening.

By this morning the facility appeared to be back to normal, having been drained, cleaned and refilled overnight – but officials are still in the dark about what actually happened.

“It’s not possible to be sure what caused the water discolouration,” said a spokeswoman for Ards and North Down Council.

Referring to fears of pollution from blue-green algae raised by multiple parents, she told the News Letter: “On inspection there didn’t appear to be any obvious bloom material. The paddling pool is filled regularly from fresh cold mains water.

“Donaghadee paddling pool will continue to be emptied and cleaned at least twice a week in this warmer weather, to ensure the water is fresh and the facility can be kept open for public use."

Experts from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency said the problem almost certainly wasn’t blue-green algae, explaining the treated mains water supplied to the paddling pool “does not provide the conditions normally associated with blue-green algal blooms” which are normally found in natural waterbodies.

The area’s deputy mayor, James Cochrane, said that if the problem recurs he’ll encourage officials to run tests while putting up signs informing the public not to use the facility, so they can track down the source of the issue.

“I asked both the council and NIEA to confirm whether blue-green algae had been present,” the DUP politician stated.

“They said they’d agreed that from a public health perspective, it was more appropriate to apply the precautionary principle by emptying, cleaning and refilling the pool, rather than waiting around two days to organise tests and receive the results.

“I did raise with both the council and NIEA that, given the public concern surrounding the potential presence of blue-green algae, temporary signage advising people not to use the facility while the situation was being assessed would have been beneficial."

He also advised anyone who has recently used the paddling pool and feels unwell or develops symptoms they are concerned about to seek medical advice.

“I will continue to press the council to take action to minimise the risk of this happening again and to ensure the paddling pool remains a safe facility for local families to enjoy,” he added.

It’s not the first time the paddling pool has hit summer snags. Despite a £250,000 upgrade, in July 2022 a faulty valve rendered council staff unable to fill the Donaghadee facility. During a hot spell, it was reportedly left with water less than an inch deep plus large patches that were completely dry.