Health authorities in Granada have issued a temporary warning against bathing in a section of Salobreña’s main beach after tests revealed elevated levels of intestinal enterococci – a bacteria linked to faecal contamination.
The Territorial Delegation of Health and Consumer Affairs said the decision was based on the latest analysis from the Andalucian Bathing Water Health Surveillance Unit.
The affected area covers roughly 250 metres, between the El Peñon restaurant and the La Charca beach bar.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health said precautionary measures were necessary to protect public health until the cause of the contamination is identified and resolved.
Salobreña City Council installed warning signs on Thursday morning, but Mayor Javier Ortega Prados criticised the situation, claiming the issue falls outside the town hall’s jurisdiction.
He accused the Coastal Authority of shirking responsibility, and announced plans for legal action to ensure each body ‘assumes responsibility for this crime against public health’.
Ortega said the closure is damaging tourism, the local economy, and the town’s reputation, and argued that the council has been forced to assume ‘improper powers’ in managing the problem.
He added that the municipality has been carrying out its own water testing to try to trace the contamination, and has long been pressing for action through the Water Committee – a multi-agency group created after a similar closure in summer 2023.
The mayor warned that after two years, no effective measures have been taken.
Recurring slicks have been reported along the Costa Tropical in recent summers, including at El Pozuelo and Carchuna, where beaches were also temporarily closed this year due to microbiological contamination. The source remains unknown.
