Charlie Smith
A LEADING airline has agreed to dump any towns that allow raw sewage into the sea.
British holiday firm Jet2 has confirmed to the Olive Press that this will start with Nerja, which previously listed the town’s Burriana beach as a great place to visit.
It comes after faecal bacteria was found at both Burriana and nearby Torrecilla beach, which the travel giant had listed on its website as among its ‘things to do’ in Nerja.
“We will not be promoting’ the beaches until the problem is resolved,” said a spokesman for Jet2 this week.
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention, we have removed any recommendation of the affected beaches from our website.
“Once things are sorted out with regards to the sewage, hopefully we can recommend the beaches again.”
We got in touch with leading UK operators and airlines after the Guardia Civil uncovered outflow pipes pumping untreated human waste into the ocean at just 40m deep.
Sewage clumps containing faeces, wet wipes, sanitary towels and plastic and measuring metres in length have also been spotted on the ocean floor.
A total of 16 officials have been questioned by the Guardia Civil, but the Andalucian Government has been blamed for not providing a treatment plant.
The Institute of Toxicology in Sevilla has also analysed water samples and concluded that the presence of faecal bacteria poses a risk of gastroenteritis and skin infections.
The Olive Press also contacted the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), which represents 1,200 travel firms and issues advice to British holidaymakers.
“ABTA has been advised by the Spanish authorities that regular expert analysis of the water quality around the Costa del Sol is carried out,” a spokesperson for the group said.
“They have informed us that the most recent results found that the quality of the sea water around the beaches of the Eastern Costa del Sol, including Nerja, is excellent.
“We have not received any further updates indicating that the water quality around Nerja has deteriorated.”
Meanwhile, one British holidaymaker told the Olive Press he will ‘not return’ to the area over fears he may contract ‘hepatitis’.
Neil Robson, 72, from Yorkshire, had been swimming at Burriana Beach three times a day on his summer holidays for 27 years.
“It’s a ridiculous situation and shows a total arrogance for the people who go on holiday in Nerja,” said the dad-of-three who first visited the area in 1992.
The retired former sales rep added: “My son, who is a doctor, said ‘dad do not go in the water, you’re a massive fool if you do, you’ll get hepatitis’.
“I won’t come back until the treatment plant is up and running, I made friends with the people there so I’m really disappointed.
“There are feathers, sanitary towels, and what looks like faeces in the sea, so I feel extremely lucky really.
“I haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet, I might go somewhere else in Spain, or maybe France.”
A sewage treatment plant was under construction in 2014, but stalled due to financial difficulties.
Nerja Town Hall declined to comment on the situation or update us on current sewage treatment plans.
Other package holiday firms TUI and Thomas Cook, which also promote the affected beaches on their websites, were asked to comment on the situation.
Thomas Cook declined, while TUI, said ABTA would reply on its behalf.
