Baginbun episode leads to urgent calls for action

SCENES straight out of Baywatch were witnessed at Baginbun when gardaí had to be called to a large encampment on the beach, protected by big dogs.

Cllr Martin Murphy drew his fellow councillors’ attention to the drama near where the Normans landed in the second wave of their invasion of Ireland in 1170 at the municipal council meeting. ‘A number of people with 4x4 trucks drawing a trailer backed up at the only turning point available for the public by the entrance to the beach. A number of them drove out in a smaller vehicle and got out and cordoned off a section of the beach. They erected a large tent and took up a space of 200ft by 60ft. They brought a large diesel generator and set up house at Baginbun. They tied up two large dogs at the entrance to keep people away. Is there anything Wexford County Council can do to prevent this?’ he said.

Cllr Murphy acknowledged that the council’s wardens have no way of knowing when such an event is going to happen. ‘We are not going to have notification in advance when it will happen again but do we have any kind of response unit as when this occurs it causes havoc. The guards were there. There is a large no parking sign there, but it clearly wasn’t heeded.’

District manager Sinead Casey said: ‘We don’t know when it’s going to happen. There are bylaws in operation all along the coast, much of which is a special area of conservation.’

She said community wardens will be made aware of the matter, adding that contacting the gardaí is the most effective response. ‘It’s something we need to look at in light of the events that have taken place during the fine weather,’ she added. District director Eamonn Hore said both he and a colleague were ‘ haunted’ by phone calls on the return journey from the Wexford match about concerns the sand dunes in Curracloe were about to be set on fire, pointing out that the council can only do so much when it comes to public order matters. ‘Hopefully it’s a once-off with the weather,’ he said.

‘It’s like Baginbun Baywatch,’ Cllr Michael Sheehan added.