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STINKING FEELING
An army of tractors combs the beaches for hours each morning to clear the mess
- Patrick Harrington
- Rita Sobot
TOP Brit holiday spots are battling an invasion of stinking seaweed that is swamping their beaches and threatening income.
Shorelines along the Costa del Sol face an "environmental emergency" as officials race to clear the rotting mess before it puts off tourists.
Marbella, often described as the "jewel in the crown" of the Spanish coast, has scooped up around 2,500 tonnes of algae sludge over the busy Easter period.
Officials clear the beaches each day with heavy machinery, only for another thick layer to wash up.
As the brown mush decays, it "generates bad odours and prevent bathing" - spoiling the beaches for tourists.
The local council is furious, fuming that the situation is totally unacceptable.
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It said this year's Easter haul is more than the amount collected in the whole of 2024.
Local councillor Diego Lopez said: "This figure that should set off all the alarms. What we are experiencing this year is unprecedented. It's an environmental emergency.
"We cannot allow our beaches to lose their attractiveness because that has a direct impact on our economy."
The worst of the mess washed up on beaches such as San Pedro Alcántara, Nueva Andalucía, Fontanilla, Venus, El Cable and Cabopino.
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But Marbella is not alone in this problem.
Lopez insisted: "This situation affects the entire Andalusian coast and requires a coordinated response."
Inside the Hard Rock Hotel Marbella
The algae, called "Rugulopteryx okamurae", a dirty brown seaweed, is hated by holiday resorts because it ruins beaches with smelly piles of muck.
It accumulates in huge, ugly piles on the shoreline and stops holidaymakers from enjoying the sand.
Tourists have described it as "disgusting and smelly", often being forced to jump over piles of the stuff to reach the sea.
Marbella council says it cannot battle the problem alone, and is calling for reinforcement from the Spanish government.
Lopez slammed the "absolute lack of support from the central government [...] in the face of an environmental emergency that overflows municipal resources".
The invasion is so bad that Marbella has introduced a daily cleaning programme.
Around 20 tractors armed with large bucket scrapers zigzag the beaches from 3am to 10am, when they must leave for safety reasons.
Lopez said: "The work is organised at dawn to minimise the inconvenience to users."
He also commended the army of cleaners, who he said are all "giving 200 percent to face this situation".
Once removed, the algae is laid out to dry so it is less heavy and easier to transport.
The leftover mess is then transferred to the Costa del Sol Environmental Complex in Malaga.
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The council pays a fee of €43 per ton for its treatment as vegetable waste, which "makes management even more expensive".
Lopez said the huge effort the council expends to keep the beaches clean proves its commitment to "environmental quality and to the tourist image of the municipality".
What is Rugulopteryx okamurae?
RUGULOPTERYX Okamurae is a type of brown algae that originates from the Pacific Ocean.
Previously, it only existed in northwest Pacific waters, but it has now spread to the Mediterranean and Northeast Atlantic, where it is an invasive species.
The plant bobs just beneath the surface of the sea, usually between 0.5 and 5 metres underwater.
In very clear water where sunlight can penetrate further, it may be found up to 15 metres below the surface.
The algae grows on hard surfaces, such as rocks in shallow waters, but then detaches and floats off.
A single plant can spawn hundreds more, leading to huge buildups of the plant matter.
In the waters the algae has invaded, it can cause major problems for biodiversity by forcing out native species and blocking sunlight for other marine plants.
