Expats and locals are demanding a Costa Blanca beach be shut down due to alleged waste water contamination.
The Orihuela Costa Independence Party (PIOC) says stinking waste water is spilling onto Cala Mosca.
Footage taken by the campaigning political party shows green water flowing out of an exposed pipe and onto the popular cove – which had to be closed last year due to contamination.
A PIOC member told the Spanish Eye: ‘We have ordered water testing kits and are going to take our findings to the Guardia Civil, as the water board is not interested.’
The high season on the Orihuela Costa has already seen a beach closure due to wastewater contamination this summer.
Cala Cerrada, a popular cove in the La Zenia area, was ordered shut on at the start of July after water quality tests revealed the presence of residual pollution.
The results, issued by the Regional Ministry of Environment and Water and dated July 1, flagged levels deemed unsuitable for bathing.
The Orihuela City Council’s Beaches Department marked the area off-limits as a ‘temporary preventive measure,’ citing the need to safeguard public health.
Warning signs were posted at access points while authorities await fresh lab results confirming the contamination has cleared.
There have yet to be any updates from the City Council almost three weeks later.
The checks are part of the Bathing Water Quality Control Program carried out by the Regional Ministry.
Beach closures on the Orihuela Costa – particularly during peak summer months – have become increasingly routine in recent years, despite the area’s reputation for clean, swimmable waters.
Orihuela had, until recently, boasted Blue Flag status across all 11 of its beaches for six consecutive years.
But in 2023, that record was threatened under the new PP-Vox coalition, which also launched a dedicated Department of Coastal Affairs.
That year, Cala La Mosca (Playa Flamenca) came close to losing its Blue Flag after discharges were detected. The Environmental and Consumer Education Association, which oversees the Blue Flag programme, pulled the distinction temporarily. It was only reinstated after water quality was restored and verified.
In 2024, the issue returned, this time affecting Cala Estaca, just south of Cala La Mosca. Despite reports of “diffuse pollution” and unexplained discharges, authorities maintained that bathing remained safe. Nevertheless, the Blue Flag was not awarded.
Last summer, Cala La Mosca and La Glea in Campoamor were both shut down in late July after similar pollution alerts. Those closures lasted four days. Cala La Mosca’s Blue Flag wasn’t raised again for nearly three weeks.
