According to the captain of the Port of Lagos, Hugo da Guia, Cabanas Velhas beach was reopened on Tuesday afternoon and this morning the ban was lifted on Boca do Rio, beaches in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, in the district of Faro.

The beaches of Cabanas Velhas and Boca do Rio were closed for swimming on Sunday after the presence of crude oil was detected impacting the bathing waters, the municipality said in a statement at the time.

On Monday, the ban on bathing was extended to Martinhal Beach, by the decision of the Algarve Regional Health Delegate, until safety conditions were reversed.

“After the manual cleaning was carried out, we found that on the two beaches [Cabanas Velhas and Boca do Rio], through monitoring carried out in the last 36 hours, there was no longer any source of pollution, and the Regional Health Secretariat decided to lift the ban”, he specified.

Hugo da Guia said that the bathing ban on Martinhal beach is maintained, where cleaning activities are taking place with heavy machinery, "as it was not possible to carry out manual cleaning, work that is being carried out by a company contracted by the Vila do Bispo Câmara".

The same source said that the origin of the source of pollution that led to the closure of the beaches “remains unknown”.