Strong winds cause flooding in eastern Costa del Sol town

The strong easterly winds that battered the Costa del Sol from Monday 28 to Tuesday 29 April led to flooding along Torre del Mar's seafront in the east of Malaga province on Tuesday.

A stretch of the promenade and road, almost a hundred metres long and twenty metres wide, was completely flooded with seawater, leading to the road being closed off to traffic and some businesses in El Copo area of the town centre were unable to open.

The flooding was caused by overflow channels being left open following the heavy rains in autumn that have not been closed due to the forecast for further rainfall in winter and spring this year. Seawater entered the channels when the strong winds caused waves of up to three metres.

Heavy machinery was used to pile up sand to prevent water from continuing to enter through a overflow channel, which remains open. It is not possible to close it "for safety reasons, as the waves are very strong in the area and there is danger for the safety of the beach workers," town hall sources told SUR.