The regional government's Ports de les Illes Balears authority has responsibility for this part of Puerto Andratx. However, it says that the cause of the problem lies with work carried out by a company contracted by Andratx town hall's municipal services agency; the work is on the sewage network.
Businesses are complaining that the smell is awful and that the spill from the pipe spread as far as the Saluet canal, where the water is "completely dark". They say that problems always seem to occur in summer. Last year there were some spills in the same area in front of the hotel. But they didn't compare with the scale of what has happened this summer. Businesses and residents are therefore hoping that the repairs are made quickly and that they will ensure that there won't be further repetition of the problem.
The town hall is apologising for the inconvenience but is insisting that it doesn't have responsibility for the area; this lies with the regional ports authority. Nevertheless, it is the town hall which has taken the decision to keep the beach closed.
As a consequence of the spillage and the smell, the fiestas' swimming competition, which should have taken place yesterday, had to be called off.
