Tourists in a popular Spanish city have been left “shocked and disgusted” after finding dozens of dead rats on the beach and floating in the sea.
The authorities in Alicante believe the shocking incident follows a “temporary collapse” in the sewerage network after last Wednesday’s heavy rainfall. Bathers were horrified to find dozens of dead rats floating between the beach of Cocó, Urbanova and the sailing school of the Real Club de Regatas. Numerous pictures and videos have been posted on social media, including ones showing children who had been playing on the beach looking at the dead rats and other sunbathers in the background. The heavy rainfall could have caused sanitation infrastructure to overflow, dragging waste and dead rodents into the sea, according to Spanish newspaper Informacion.es.
This incident also occurred in the middle of the celebration of the Alicante Triathlon, generating concern among participants and bathers due to the proximity between the remains of the rodents and the sports event.
The rats were floating 500 metres from the Alicante Triathlon, an event that had more than 1,200 participants.
Deputy spokesperson of the socialist municipal group, Trini Amorós, said: “Alicante cannot afford rats floating on its beaches and sandbanks”, pointing out that this situation reflects “the lack of cleaning, rat control and maintenance of the sanitation and purification networks”.
“This problem not only affects our tourist image but also the residents of Alicante who enjoy the bathing areas,” she said.
She is demanding urgent action from the local government “so that it does not happen again”.
Another opposition councillor said: “We denounce the collapse of the sanitation system in Alicante – the spillways are dumping untreated water into the sea, and dead rats are already appearing on our beaches. The city council is looking the other way. We demand solutions.”
Some parts of Alicante registered more than 40 litres per square metre in just one hour during Wednesday’s rainfall.
Added to this is the reported negative impact of waste such as sanitary wipes, which clog pipes and aggravate overflows in the network.
According to data from Aguas de Alicante, more than 1,000 tons of wipes improperly flushed down the toilet are removed every year, causing blockages in both the public network and private facilities.
This contributes to the clogging of the sewer, especially in times of adverse weather.
