Unsafe levels of the bacteria E coli have caused part of a popular Lanzarote beach resort to close to bathers during peak summer travel season.
A section of Los Pocillos Beach in Puerto del Carmen was shut at midday on Tuesday after samples taken from the seawater by the health department tested positive for the diarrhoea-causing bacteria.
Christopher Notario, Tias councillor for beaches, confirmed that the section of the beach behind the Los Jameos Playa Hotel complex had been closed.
The Tías Town Hall warned holidaymakers: “As a precaution, due to the high levels that have been detected and according to the regulations, swimming has been prohibited.”
A red flag has been placed to mark the impacted stretch of the beach and deter bathers from risking their health by entering the water.
Local officials have said the closure will remain in effect until negative samples are collected, but the exact source of the bacteria is still unknown.
According to the NHS: “Escherichia coli O157, sometimes called STEC (Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli), is a bacterial infection. It can cause severe stomach pain, bloody diarrhoea and kidney failure.”
The healthcare service adds that the bacterial infection, found in the gut and faeces of many animals, can be caught through “swimming or playing in contaminated water, such as ponds or streams”.
It’s not the first time that the presence of E coli has kept beachgoers out of the water.
In June, The Independent revealed that unsafe levels of vomiting and bacteria have been found at more than 10 per cent of blue-flag beaches in the UK.
Analysis of official data shows that eight out of 72 of the country’s best beaches recorded high levels of E coli in May.
These included Seaburn (Sunderland), Roker (Sunderland), Whitby (Scarborough), Christchurch Avon (Bournemouth), the east Devon beaches of Beer, Seaton and Sidmouth – all recording more than 1,000 colonies of E coli in at least one sample.
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