Accidental spillage of molasses from Costa Tropical mill turns River Guadalfeo black

A video, recorded by a member of the Costa Tropical association of sport fishermen of the and later posted by the association itself, showed a dark strip stretching from the shore towards the sea, accompanied by a strong smell of molasses.

The town hall's environmental and the town planning inspectors went to the area to check the situation and try to locate the source of the spillage. Following the trail of the dark water through the basins, they arrived at a factory in Lobres, which was the source of the spillage.

According to the councillor for the environment, Mariola Martínez, on Wednesday morning molasses were being transferred from one tank to another within the factory's installations.

During this process and due to a faulty connection between the tanks, part of the treacle-like liquid escaped, reaching the mouth of the Guadalfeo river and eventually the sea. According to the councillor the factory admitted what had happened and apologised for the accident.

"Once the source was identified, the factory acted swiftly and the leak was brought under full control about an hour or two after the alarms went off," Martínez said.

Although molasses is a naturally occurring substance and is in principle non-toxic, the town hall has collected samples of both the water in the basins and the seawater. The aim is to analyse what concentration of molasses reached the river and sea and whether this quantity could be harmful to sea life or to people.

The councillor sent a message of calm to the residents and insisted that the spillage was a one-off accident that has now been resolved. She added that molasses are natural and used in everyday agriculture.