Beach at Portals Nous closed again

The small beach of Portals Nous was closed for the second time this month, because of an accidental sewage spill. The authorities say that it should be reopened today. Residents expressed their anger at the closure, which comes right in the middle of the resort's fiestas. The spillage was detected at around 10am and the beach was closed one hour later. Calvia council sources said that the leak was due to a blockage in the general pipe system, the sewage spilling into the street to the beach and down to the sea. The council's environmental department ordered the beach to be closed for the rest of the day “as a precaution”. The Local Police put up a ‘do not cross’ tape and the red flag forbidding bathing was hoisted. Police, civil defence workers and the municipal company Calvia 2000 worked on the beach all day to bring it back to normal. Neighbours have now made two formal complaints to the local police and the coastal authority, providing photographs of similar sewage spills in the past. The programme of fiestas includes events such as a sand castle competition and swimming and the organisers are afraid they will have to be called off. Yesterday, the Calvia council was forced to close a small beach near Illetas because of a sewage spill.