- Water quality Excellent sampled 14 Sep 2026
- Sea temp 13.2 °C surface, modelled
- Waves 0.5 m period 3 s · N
- Wind 8 mph from NE · gust 17
- Next tide High 04:31 today · 3.0 m
Brompton Bay is a coastal beach on the North Down coast, in the Ards and North Down Borough Council.
Conditions now
Air
10°C
Clear
Swell
0.4m
period 3 s · N
Rain
0mm
last 48 hours
Water quality
A designated bathing water: DAERA samples it weekly through the bathing season (1 June–15 September).
Latest sample 14 Sep 2026: Excellent — E. coli 10, intestinal enterococci 10 CFU/100 ml
Sample history (40 shown)
| Date | E. coli | Ent. | Rating | Algae |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Sep 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 9 Sep 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 4 Sep 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 1 Sep 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 29 Aug 2026 | 42 | 25 | Excellent | — |
| 28 Aug 2026 | 2300 | 120 | Advice against bathing | — |
| 24 Aug 2026 | 10 | 49 | Excellent | — |
| 20 Aug 2026 | 36 | 19 | Excellent | — |
| 12 Aug 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 6 Aug 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 30 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 27 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 21 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 16 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 7 Jul 2026 | 24 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 1 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 23 Jun 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 19 Jun 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 15 Jun 2026 | 10 | 130 | Good | — |
| 3 Jun 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 27 May 2026 | 80 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 15 Sep 2025 | 26 | 120 | Good | — |
| 9 Sep 2025 | 27 | 30 | Excellent | — |
| 1 Sep 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 29 Aug 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 21 Aug 2025 | 120 | 14 | Excellent | — |
| 12 Aug 2025 | 10 | 27 | Excellent | — |
| 6 Aug 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 1 Aug 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 28 Jul 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 25 Jul 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 17 Jul 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 9 Jul 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 1 Jul 2025 | 60 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 26 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 23 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 19 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 13 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 11 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 4 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
Weekly lab samples, not real-time. Avoid bathing for 48 h after heavy rain. Bathing Water Profile (PDF).
Sewage & storm overflows
19 NI Water storm overflows within 1.2 mi — 3 rated Unsatisfactory.
Modelled~233 spills/yrNI Water's prediction, all 19 combined
Measured in 2025231 spills1441 h · 59 in the bathing season · 12 of 19 monitored
Nearest 12 overflows
| Overflow | Distance | Classification | Modelled spills/yr | Measured 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maxwell Road Downshire CSO → Belfast Lough Outer |
30 yd | Satisfactory | ~68 | — |
| Brompton Road 1 WwPS → Belfast Lough Outer |
30 yd | Satisfactory | — | 42 spills 5 in season · 587 h |
| Seacourt WwPS → Belfast Lough |
350 yd | To be Determined | — | 21 spills 14 in season · 11 h |
| Seacourt Lane CSO → Belfast Lough |
350 yd | To be Determined | — | — |
| Stricklands Glen 1 WwPS → Belfast Lough Outer |
530 yd | Satisfactory | — | 9 spills 3 in season · 11 h |
| Westburn Crescent CSO → Belfast Lough |
0.6 mi | Unsatisfactory | ~7 | — |
| Carnlea Clinic CSO → Belfast Lough |
0.7 mi | Unsatisfactory | ~68 | — |
| Bangor Marina WwPS → Belfast Lough Outer |
0.7 mi | To be Determined | — | 9 spills 2 in season · 22 h |
| Crawfordsburn Road Glenview CSO → Belfast Lough |
0.7 mi | Satisfactory | ~1 | — |
| Grange Crescent CSO → Belfast Lough |
0.7 mi | To be Determined | — | 9 spills 2 in season · 10 h |
| Carnalea Golf Club CSO → Belfast Lough |
0.8 mi | Unsatisfactory | ~89 | — |
| Castle Park Bangor 2 WwPS → Belfast Lough |
0.9 mi | To be Determined | — | 54 spills 19 in season · 183 h |
How these are counted
“Modelled” is NI Water's hydraulic-model prediction of spills per year. “Measured” is from NI Water's event duration monitors, counted with the industry 12/24 method (discharges within the same 12- or 24-hour block count as one spill); the bathing-season figure (1 Jun–15 Sep) is our count from NI Water's published discharge log. An overflow with no monitor isn't known to be dry. Classification is NI Water's own.
Nearest wastewater treatment works: Ballycrochan Road ST (3.0 mi → Ballyholme River) · Craigdarragh Road 85-87 ST (3.2 mi → Belfast Lough).
Amenities & features
Parking
19
Toilets
1
Cafes & food
e.g. Pickie Cafe
2
Shops
1
Picnic tables
12
Benches
18
Information
2
Bins
2
Boating — nearest harbours & marinas
- Bangor 870 yd
- Bangor 0.5 mi
- Groomsport 2.8 mi
2 more further away
- Unknown 5.3 mi
- Carrickfergus 5.7 mi
Wildlife & designations
This beach lies in or within 0.6 mi of:
- ASSI Outer Ards
2 protected features
- Intertidal rock Favourable, 2020
- Intertidal mudflats and sandflats Favourable, 2021
- SPA Outer Ards
5 protected features · 3 Unfavourable
- Arctic tern Favourable, 2017
- Golden plover Unfavourable, 2018
- Light-bellied Brent goose Favourable, 2018
- Turnstone Unfavourable, 2018
- Ringed plover Unfavourable, 2018
- pSPA East Coast Marine proposed Special Protection Area, not yet classified
7 proposed features
- Great crested grebe
- Red throated diver
- Sandwich tern
- Common tern
- Arctic tern
- Manx shearwater
- Eider duck
- Ramsar Outer Ards
6 protected features · 2 Unfavourable
- Arctic tern Favourable, 2017
- Golden plover Unfavourable, 2018
- Light-bellied Brent goose Favourable, 2018
- Turnstone not yet assessed
- Ringed plover Unfavourable, 2018
- Manx Shearwater not yet assessed
Protected features and their latest condition assessment, from DAERA's 2023 marine protected area review. Only sites with a marine part are assessed there.
Alerts & advisories
No advisories active for this beach today.