Lifted ban on bathing on four of five beaches in Matosinhos

The regional health delegate has lifted the ban on bathing on four of the five beaches in the municipality of Matosinhos, whose waters were banned on Thursday.

The ban on the use of waters for bathing purposes was lifted in the beaches of Aterro, Boa Nova-Senhora, Fuzelhas and Leça da Palmeira, but the ban on the Azul-Conchinha waters remains.

"I determined on this date, the lifting of the ban on the use of water for bathing purposes of bathing waters in the municipality of Matosinhos: Aterro, Boa Nova-Senhora, Fuzelhas and Leça da Palmeira, maintaining the ban on the Azul-Conchinha," according to a communication from the regional health delegate sent to Lusa by the Matosinhos City Council.

The beaches were banned on Thursday, after the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) has advised against bathing in the five beaches in the municipality of Matosinhos, after a fire at a paint factory in Leça da Palmeira.

Bathing was advised against until "water analysis indicates that the values are within the reference parameters," the National Maritime Authority (AMN) said on Tuesday in a statement.

On Thursday, bathing was then prohibited, according to the captain of the Douro port told Lusa.

The APA and the Public Health Unit of Matosinhos were contacted by 22:00 Monday, following a fire that broke out early in the evening in a paint factory in Leça da Palmeira.

The Civil Protection of Matosinhos alerted the authorities to the possibility of an outbreak of pollution at sea, due to the rapid movement of wastewater through the stormwater system to a stream that flows into the beach Azul.

"Following the alert were immediately activated to the site elements of the local command of the Maritime Police and the Captaincy of the Port of Leixões, as well as the Northern Maritime Department, which found the presence of an outbreak of pollution in an area of difficult access, and was subsequently contacted a specialized company to proceed to the collection of polluting material," explained the AMN in the press release.

The fire, which started around 19:45, was controlled and extinguished during the afternoon of Monday by several fire departments of Matosinhos, Gondomar and Maia, also added.