Swimming has been temporarily banned at two popular Malaga beaches after health authorities detected elevated levels of E. coli, a bacteria that indicates faecal contamination, in the water.
Malaga City Council has raised the red flag at Pedregalejo and El Palo beaches following a recommendation from Andalucia’s regional health authority.
The affected sampling points are Acacias beach in Pedregalejo and Casa Pedro beach in El Palo, where routine water tests found E. coli concentrations above the limits set out in water quality regulations.
As a precaution, bathing has been prohibited while further testing is carried out.
The council said the closure is a preventive measure designed to protect public health and stressed that the contamination appears to be an isolated incident.
The beaches will remain closed until the Junta de Andalucia confirms through new water samples that bacteria levels have returned to within safe limits.
E. coli is commonly used as an indicator of faecal contamination in bathing waters.
While most strains are harmless, elevated levels can indicate that sewage or contaminated runoff has entered the sea, increasing the risk of stomach bugs, diarrhoea and other infections for swimmers.
The closure follows a similar incident earlier this year, when Malaga’s Campo de Golf beach and Los Alamos beach in Torremolinos were shut for several weeks after E. coli was detected in the water.
On that occasion, the contamination was traced to two damaged sewage pipelines that ruptured after heavy rainfall caused the Guadalhorce River to flood, leading to wastewater discharges near Arraijanal.
Malaga’s municipal water company, EMASA, introduced emergency measures to divert wastewater offshore and towards the Guadalhorce treatment plant while permanent repairs were carried out.
Those beaches eventually reopened after water quality tests confirmed the contamination had cleared.
Authorities are now awaiting the results of further samples before deciding when Pedregalejo and El Palo can safely reopen to swimmers.
