SANTANDER (Spain): Sparkling blue waters lap the golden sands of the Sardinero, the main beach at one of Spain’s most elegant resorts.

But a walk along the beach in Santander, packed with holidaymakers during this peak tourist season, leaves your feet black with tar — a hangover from the ecological disaster unleashed by the Prestige, an oil tanker now lying on the sea bed several hundred kilometres out to sea.

The other strange sight on the Sardinero is that of the white-vested cleaners scouring the beach and scooping up lumps of oil, some like huge cow pats, others the size of an egg.

The Prestige sank off Spain’s northwestern coast last November with 77,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil on board, devastating the west coast of the region of Galicia, its rich fishing grounds and threatening its tourist industry. Since then the fuel has floated along the Atlantic coast, jeopardising the tourist industry — revenues from which account for more than 10 per cent of Spain’s economy.

The frequent appearance of toxic sludge led the Denmark-based Blue Flag organisation to withdraw its quality award from more than 30 north coast beaches this month. Despite the packed beaches, Santander’s hotel association fears the worst.

Apart from complaints from hoteliers about tourists staining carpets and furniture with the sludge, hotels look likely to suffer a fall in bookings, though definitive data will not be available until September.

At the start of the peak month, the number of calls to Santander’s hotel booking centre was down 50 per cent compared with last year, said Miguel Mirones, the association’s head.—Reuters