Sa Coma accident leaves nasty smell with tourists

A massive clean up operation was launched in the holiday resort of Sa Coma yesterday after a sewage pumping centre sprung a huge leak on Tuesday night nearly flooding the sea front. But while life returned to normal yesterday, traders and residents were furious about what happened and the awful smell they had to endure all night. Sant Llorenc council sources said yesterday that an estimated 700 cubic metres of sewage water spilled onto the streets. The area worst hit was at the bottom of calle Arboceras, near the roundabout. The smell was unbearable and scores of tourists and residents complained. One local resident said that it took about two hours for the Local Police and the council to react to the leak - but by that time, the sewage water was gushing down the street. Apparently the problem lay in the central pumping station where one of the pumps had burnt out and knocked out the power supply to the centre. Thus the main pumps shut down and the small back-up pump was unable to cope with the peak time sewage. Mayor of Sant Llorenc, Mateu Puigros, said that incident clearly demonstrates the need for a new pumping station to be built in the area because over the past few years the population of Sa Coma has grown rapidly.