Burrow Beach in County Dublin was evacuated by Gardaí on Sunday evening after a “mass brawl” involving a group of teenagers, witnesses said.
Uniformed Raheny County Gardaí and the Public Order Unit attended the scene of a so-called “mass brawl” on Sutton Beach, reports Breaking News.
Gardaí then cleared the busy beach.
In a statement, An Garda Síóchána said: “Uniformed Gardaí from the Raheny District and the Public Order Unit attended the scene. A large number of people who were gathered on the beach have been dispersed from the area. No arrests have been made at this time. Enquiries are ongoing. Gardaí from the Raheny District are maintaining a presence in the area of Burrow Beach this evening, as part of ongoing high-visibility patrols under Operation Irene. Gardaí in Raheny are appealing to any person who may have information in relation to this incident to contact them in Raheny Garda Station on 01-6664300, or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666111,” reports Breaking News.
Local Labor Councilor Brian McDonagh said current laws banning alcohol on public beaches do not go far enough.
He called for an “aggressive seizure of alcohol on beaches”.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme, Mr McDonagh said: “We have put it down to two main issues and they’re overcrowding. So there’s been instances where people have been blocked in and also having difficulties of access for emergency services. Anti-social behaviour is the second main one and that’s pre-dominantly related to alcohol on the beaches. We have bylaws preventing alcohol, and I think what we need is aggressive seizure of alcohol on beaches,” reports Breaking News.
Gardaí launched Operation Irene last year to tackle underage drinking in public places in the Dublin metropolitan area.
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