Health authorities warned against bathing in St George’s Bay in Birżebbuġa on Saturday after the popular spot became contaminated with sewage.

In a statement, the Environmental Health Directorate said bathing in the bay was “not recommended”, and that sewage leaking into the bay posed a “risk to bathers’ health.”

It said the leak had been caused by a blockage in a nearby public toilet and tests were being carried out to see when the beach could be reopened to bathers.

The bay was clear of swimmers on Saturday. Photo: Jonathan Borg.

When contacted, Birżebbuġa mayor Scott Camilleri said more education was needed to prevent such occurrences in the future.

He said authorities had discovered a significant number of wet wipes and sanitary products incorrectly flushed down toilets in public conveniences when emptying a water calvert in the area recently.

"Education is key,” he said, adding the council had extended attended hours at the public convenience in response to the recent incidents.

The bay was similarly closed to swimmers last month due to contaminated water before reopening a few days later.

Authorities said they would notify the public of the bay being safe to swim in once tests had been completed.

Birżebbuġa Bay is not the only beach to have sewage seeping into it. St Julian's Balluta Bay was closed for over two months after health authorities announced two instances of E.coil contamination in the bay.

E.coli is most commonly attributable to untreated sewage. 

While sewage has stopped seeping into Balluta Bay, it will not reopen for swimming until the health authorities give the go-ahead.

On Friday, the Water Services Corporation (WSC) told Times of Malta that blockages were a huge problem, with items like hand wipes, cotton buds, hair and sanitary pads often being flushed down toilets. Such items do not degrade in water and end up as part of large balls that block drainpipes, with backflows sometimes entering people’s homes. 

A spokesperson for the corporation said people instances of materials being dumped into manholes had also occurred, with “teddy bears, towels, and even animal carcasses thrown into the sewage main pipe”.