Divers have been disseminating images to publicise contamination. | G. Pedrero

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Divers in Soller have been highlighting what they describe as discharges of a "suspicious" nature affecting the seabed through contamination. They say that water, seemingly untreated, comes in large quantities from the underwater outlet, which appears to be broken.

Some days ago, residents said that in more or less the same area they saw a spring of dark water that created a stain in the middle of the port. The environment, agriculture and fisheries ministry has responded by saying that it will send a team to assess the scale of the damage. Some residents suggest, however, that the problem may have existed for a few years. Grey spots frequently appear on the surface, especially after it has rained heavily.

Divers have also taken samples of bacteria forming a crust on the seabed. These were sent to the microbiology laboratory at the University of the Balearic Islands, which has confirmed that the bacterial colonies conform to a species associated with water contamination. This doesn't necessarily mean, though, that the cause is the outlet. It could also be as a result of bilge water.