Bathers unsure if they can swim in Birzebbuga

Dozens of people headed to Pretty Bay in Birzebugia today to enjoy the sunny weather, but no one knew whether it was safe to swim in Pretty Bay after the chemical spill a few days ago.  Beach officials from the Tourism Ministry, tasked with observing the area and handing out information leaflets on jellyfish and water currents, said they did not know whether the beach was safe to swim in or not. “We haven’t been informed either way. And we don’t have the authority to claim the beach is closed ourselves,” a ministry spokeswoman said. The beach was closed by the Civil Protection Department last week after a container carrying chemicals in the nearby Freeport started leaking into the sea. CPD officials carried out cleaning operations on the beach which was covered in a thin layer of oily liquid. Although it has the authority to close the beach, the CPD cannot reopen it- a responsibility that rests with the Environmental Health Department. Attempts to reach a spokesman for the department were unsuccessful by the time of writing. Meanwhile, bathers expressed concerns at the lack of information. Jonathon Vassal, who was at the beach with his wife and children said he had no idea the...