HUMAN excrement, decaying fish heads and tails, rubbish and the stench of maggots is driving people away from Tramore’s most famous beauty spot.

Newtown and the Guillamene is known for its magnificent vistas over Tramore Bay as well as the perfect location for swimming, diving and fishing  but in recent weeks people have been turning their noses at the area because of the stench of rotting fish  and in some places human excrement.

A minority of the people who use the area for fishing are being blamed for the stench and the members of the Newtown and Guillamene who have largely developed the area into a first class outdoor amenity are saying “enough is enough.”

Colm O’Carroll, secretary of the Newtown and Guillamene Swimming Club said that his members have taken responsibility for grass cutting in the area, for repairs to railings and walkways in the immediate area, for cleaning the algae off the piers and steps, for collecting rubbish and they even carry out the daily cleaning of the public toilet.

After confronting an individual in recent weeks over apparent unauthorised fishing he said that a member of the swimming club was threatened with a knife. We don’t want confrontation, we want to keep the place safe for everyone and we want tom keep it clean but this anti-social behaviour  must stop,” said the club secretary.

Continuing he said, “We want this practice stopped permanently and we have been in touch with the Mayor of the Waterford Metropolitan District, Cllr, Lola O’Sullivan and with Independent councillor Joe Conway to have a by-law enacted to prevent fishing in bathing areas and to educate fishermen on the need to clean up the area after them.”

(For more on this story see this week’s edition of the Waterford News & Star).