SEWAGE LEAKS FOUL MAJORCAN BEACHES

A SEWAGE pipe leaked its contents into the waters of Son Maties beach at Palmanova on Sunday, creating alarm among bathers.
The overspill took place between 3pm and 4pm when the beach was full to overflowing with tourists flocking to the sea for a dip to cool off. Lifeguards alerted bathers, urging them to come out of the water and police officially recorded the incident. But that wasn't the end of it. After the police left, at about 10 metres from the first leak, contaminated water began to lap up around the feet of sunbathing holidaymakers, some of whom shrieked in alarm, demanding to know how such filfth was getting into the water. Police, in fact, recorded three leaks on the same day, another of which was at Can Pere Antoni beach in Palma just in front of the Gesa building. It was established however, that this had been due to the failure of the Es Baluard pumping station located at the end of the Avenidas, which had been caused by a lightning strike that had hit the Island as part of the first summer storms. Under normal circumstances, sewage water is carried away safety to treatment plants. After bathers had been alerted at Can Pere Antoni (which will reopen tomorrow), police swooped down to the site and closed it off to the public at about 5pm but not before having to eject a group of bathers from the sea who had not been deterred by the red flag raised by the lifeguard and foul smelling water. Inspectors from the water and rubbish collection company, Emaya arrived to assess the damaged and arranged for an immediate cleanup of the affected areas.