Battle to keep the beaches clean

Balearic beaches were the centre of attention yesterday for sunbathers, volunteers cleaning the beaches and local authorities battling to keep the beaches clean. The beach at Portals Nous, closed two days ago because of a sewage leak, was yesterday re-opened, although sunbathers had to share the beach with builders and machinery as official complaints about spillage from residents flooded into the local police and the Balearic Sea Board depertment. A part of the beach remained cordoned off for the public's safety, according to Calvia Council sources. Elsewhere in Calvia, where there was little room on the sands anywhere for a spare towel by lunchtime, a team of 20 volunteers were helping the Civil Protection department clean up the sea bed and the area around Cala Figuera. The clean up operation took nearly six hours with the Civil Protection providing two rescue launches to help clean the sea bed and a truck to remove the rubbish. Yesterday the general public was called on to help keep the beaches clean. In Minorca, the Insular Council led the call, asking beach goers to either take their rubbish home with them or deposit it in the bins provided, not to light fires on the beaches and to keep dogs on a lead and under control. Local councils across the Balearics are all asking the same over this bumber weekend as the Balearics reaches saturation point. There have however been complaints about the state of the beach in Arenal and the dirty sea. The biggest fault being the amount of rubbish left on the sands and the local authority's apparent failure to regularly clean the beach. However, the Balearics battled against the clock to repair the beaches destroyed by the November storms and in the majority of cases, the deadline was met.