Sir,
At the inquest into the tragic drowning of young Ryan Ingram on Blue Flag Saundersfoot beach, the coroner felt that to maintain its Blue Flag status a lifeguard should be on duty.
The question that should be asked is why Saundersfoot was awarded a Blue Flag without a lifeguard?
Any reasonable person who reads the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe criteria will come to the conclusion that there must be the presence of a qualified lifeguard employed solely for that purpose and no other throughout the bathing season.
Blue Flag awards are administered in the United Kingdom by the Tidy Britain Group or Keep Wales Tidy or Encams or whatever this so-called charity funded by taxpayers' money now chooses to call itself.
There are over 20 FEEE criteria for the award of a Blue Flag. These include provision of lifeguards and other safety precautions, beach cleanliness, traffic free access, toilet facilities and drinking water within close proximity, other environmental issues etc. It is only because Keep Wales Tidy do not carry out full and proper inspections that any Blue Flag is awarded.
It seems there are only three requirements for Keep Wales Tidy to recommend a Blue Flag award:
1. That the water quality meets minimum bathing standards, although not necessarily the more stringent Blue Flag requirements.
2. That their own draconian and, unnecessary under FEEE criteria, dog bans are in force.
3. That they receive their not inconsiderable fee from the council taxpayer.
The attitude of Keep Wales Tidy is entirely monetary. Should FEEE criteria and procedures be properly enforced, no beach in Pembrokeshire would merit a Blue Flag. Knowing this, the county council would not consider it worthwhile to make applications and Keep Wales Tidy would lose a lucrative source of income.
John H. Gillson,
Bracken Heights,
Mill Lane,
Narberth.