Spain holidaymakers warned after 48 beaches hit with ‘Black Flag’ due to pollution and dog poo
Latest rankings by ecological group blast local authorities
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Holidaymakers are being warned after nearly 50 beaches in Spain were given the substandard “Black Flag” rating, with dog poo, pollution and poor urban development being blamed.
In the annually released ratings, the environmental group Ecologistas en Acción (Ecologists in Action) slammed areas that, in its view, fail to meet environmental and sustainability standards.
Following this year’s inspection of more than 8,000km (4,970 miles) of Spanish coastline, 48 Black Flags have been issued, according to the Banderas Negras (Black Flags) 2023 report. This is the same as the number listed last year.
Many of the beaches, including spots in Alicante, Barcelona and the Canary Islands, are popular with international tourists. In one particularly damning assessment, Calzoa beach in Pontevedra, Galicia, was dubbed the worst dog beach in Spain, with the Black Flag report stating that the country is facing problems with “the proliferation of designated dog beaches without a prior environmental impact assessment.”
Other affected areas include the Basque Country, Andalusia (such as beaches in Malaga and Almeria), and Valencia.
The Balearic Islands received a Black Flag due to the proliferation of jet skis, as well as for pollution from parties around Colonia de Sant Jordi, a resort town in south-east coast of Mallorca.
More than 10 of the Black Flags issued were due to chemical spills, faulty sanitation and purification problems, while other issues included chemical, noise and light pollution, the accumulation of marine litter, and the urbanisation of the coast, “sometimes even invading the maritime-terrestrial public domain”.
Ana Aldarias, a spokesperson for Ecologistas en Acción, said: “We have to emphasise that ecological attacks will continue to occur as long as economic growth prevails over any other criteria and respect for the environment is conspicuous by its absence. Without a planned economy under democratic control, life will always lose out.”
In April, tourists were informed that there would be a smoking ban on Ibiza and Mallorca beaches this summer, as part of a major push to improve health standards and tackle the problem of cigarette butts being discarded on the sand.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments