Biggest overspill of sand in years on Salthill seafront

Mini-sand dunes were being created on Grattan Road in Salthill forcing walkers and cyclists to detour from the path and motorists to slow down in the worst overspill of sand from the beach that locals can remember.

A combination of high winds, the wind direction and a build-up of sand is being blamed for the nuisance.

Galway City Council workers have had to bring in diggers for the second time in six months to push back the sand on Grattan Beach and remove it from the road.

The sand cannot be removed from the beach but regular grading ensures a build up at the back wall of the beach is kept in check. However this year it has been worse than ever.

“It’s particularly bad at the moment. It’s a combination of a lot of wind over the weekend – it was very windy on Saturday – and the direction.

“Due to the L-shaped effect of the stone wall at the beach and the area beside the lifeguard’s hut, the sand is building up at the wall and then it’s blowing onto Grattan Road,” said a council spokesman.

“As we speak, we have a digger removing the buildup of sand inside that wall and moving it below the high water mark so it gets dispersed when the tide comes in.”

A similar operation had to be mounted early in the spring at Ladies Beach when sand was blowing onto the Prom and across the road as far as the Circle of Life garden. To a lesser extent, sand is also being blown onto the road on the Leisureland side of the Galway Bay Hotel.

“It’s one of the joys and pleasures of an urban beach,” remarked the spokesman. “It is something that will happen again. Over time we will probably need to keep moving it more frequently as no one is allowed to remove sand from the beach.”

A regular maintenance programme is undertaken by the Parks Department to grade the beach sand and remove seaweed to prevent a build-up of both.

One nearby resident who is a regular Prom walker said it was the worst case of sand overspill that he can remember.

“Whatever is happening there this year, there is more sand being blown onto the road than any time I have ever seen it before. Tonnes of the stuff, it was actually making another ramp on the road this week,” he remarked.

“It’s a killer for walkers. I would say people in the houses facing the road are driven daft by sand being constantly blown into their homes.”