A popular tourist beach in Lanzarote has been temporarily closed to swimmers after tests detected high levels of faecal contamination in its waters. According to Public Health officials, elevated levels of intestinal enterococci (Enterococcus faecalis) were found at the small Playa Blanca town beach on the popular Canary Island.

These bacteria, which normally inhabit the human and animal gastrointestinal tracts and can cause infections such as UTIs, are also used as indicator organisms to assess water quality and, at the levels recorded in Lanzarote, represent a "risk to people's health". The Yaiza Council in the south of the island announced on Tuesday (February 24) that bathing is now prohibited, with the ban in place "at least until the results of new laboratory analyses are known within the next 48 hours".

Local authorities are urging both residents and visitors to respect the closure while municipal technicians investigate the cause of the contamination. Public Health teams are also continuing to take water samples and carry out further analysis to monitor the situation, reported Canarian Weekly.

Playa Blanca town beach, also known as Playa Blanca, is a small, central, golden-sandy cove known for its calm waters and Blue Flag status. It is found right in the heart of the resort along the main promenade and is surrounded by restaurants, cafes and shops.

For holidaymakers hoping to enjoy a beach day in the area with temperatures finally reaching the high-teens and low-20s, the council has advised that alternative beaches remain open, including those within the Monumento Natural de Los Ajaches, as well as Playa Dorada and Playa Flamingo.

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This beach closure follows a broken pipeline that released sewage into the sea at Platja Petita in Cala Millor, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. The incident was reported on Monday afternoon (February 23) after local residents raised alarms about large amounts of wastewater overflowing onto the promenade and reaching the sea.

"This morning, the company responsible for the canalisation works along the promenade managed to bring the situation under control and stop the discharge," council member Pep Servera Leno said, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin. However, as the spillage continued throughout the night, the affected beach area will also remain closed to the public for the next few days.

Officials from the town hall confirmed this is not the first time a failure of this nature has occurred.