The Canary Islands have issued a warning to British holidaymakers, urging them to take note of health warnings over sewage pollution affecting the region's beaches.
The alert comes after the European Union Court of Justice ruled against Spain in December 2025, finding the country had failed to properly manage wastewater discharge systems.
Environmental groups now demanding urgent action against one of Britain's favourite holiday spots.
According to Canarian Weekly, a "clear message" has been delivered to British residents and tourists.
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"While the Canary Islands remain a hugely popular destination, longstanding sewage management failures are now firmly under EU scrutiny, and decisive action will be needed to protect both public health and the environment," a statement read.
ATAN – the Tenerife Association of Friends of Nature – is pushing hard for greater openness about the problem.
The group wants "immediate public health warnings" alongside "preventive beach closures when safety thresholds are exceeded, an end to illegal discharges through a clear public timetable, and honest information for visitors via tour operators".
They're also calling for a "temporary halt to further tourism expansion and urgent investment in sewage treatment infrastructure".
The Canary Islands have issued a warning to British holidaymakers, urging them to take note of health warnings over sewage pollution affecting the region's beaches
| GETTYCampaigners say this isn't just about dirty water – it's part of a much bigger crisis hitting the Spanish archipelago.
The islands are grappling with water shortages and their essential services are under enormous strain.
Years of infrastructure neglect are catching up with one of Europe's most beloved tourist destinations.
The December 2025 ruling found Spain had breached the EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive.
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Locals have protested about tourism and the poor sewage facilities
|GETTY
Looking at figures from 2020, the court identified 29 critical problem zones across the country – a whopping 12 of those were in Tenerife alone.
The issues ranged from broken sewage collection systems to inadequate treatment facilities and poor monitoring.
While Spain wasn't hit with immediate fines, the country faces "heavy financial penalties" if it doesn't sort things out quickly.
And the scale of the problem is staggering. A 2025 census by the Canary Islands Government counted 403 sewage discharge points flowing from land into the sea.
More than half of these – 216 to be exact – didn't have proper authorisation, with most concentrated in Tenerife.
Beach closures have become a recurring headache across the islands.
Playa Jardin in Tenerife was shut for nearly a whole year during 2025 after E.coli levels shot past safe limits – the result of cracked discharge pipes and poor municipal sanitation.
Then, in October 2025, a beach in Arrecife, Lanzarote's capital, had to close when suspected sewage leaks were spotted.
Things have not improved in 2026 either. At the start of this year, fierce storms and heavy rainfall battered the sewage system at Playa del Moro in Tenerife.
The damage caused wastewater to pour straight into the ocean, leaving local officials no choice but to ban swimming and shut the beach entirely.
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