SUNBATHERS were forced to flee a beach after dead rats washed ashore at a popular Brit tourist spot.
Footage filmed by appalled holidaymakers showed the dead rodents cast up near Italy’s famed Amalfi coast.
The alarming incident took place on the eastern coast of Salerno in southern Italy, where the seawater was found tainted with rat carcasses and debris following recent storms.
A clip showed dead rats on the beach at Torrione being dragged ashore by the waves.
Outraged visitors were forced to flee the beach to avoid contact with the waste.
Francesco Emilio Borrelli, MP for the Green–Left Alliance, posted videos online on August 18th, stating: “Dozens of rat carcasses have taken over Torrione beach in Salerno.”
“A few days ago there was another similar incident when bathers removed several dead rats from Mercatello beach.”
He continued: “I have requested the local health authority to urgently investigate the potential causes of this occurrence and to ensure the removal of the carcasses, as they pose a risk to beachgoers.”
“I hope the safety of the many people crowding that coastline these days will be guaranteed with maximum efficiency.”
Regional councillor Aurelio Tommasetti of the Lega party also spoke out.
He remarked: “Just when we thought we had seen everything, rat carcasses are now being washed into the sea by streams, as documented in the press and evidenced by videos that swiftly went viral.”
“This appalling sight speaks volumes and has provoked outrage among residents and tourists, who were literally driven away from the beaches to avoid encountering these remains.”
He continued: “This is not only a question of urban decorum but also of hygiene and health concerns.
“Who can guarantee the cleanliness of the sea at Pastena, Torrione and Mercatello in light of these discoveries, some even made by children?”
Tommasetti linked the emergency to the storm that flooded Salerno.
He said: “All this happens just after the storm that flooded and paralysed Salerno, swelling the streams that carried the carcasses into the sea.
“It is too late to talk about clean-up now, action should have been taken earlier.
Torrione Beach in Salerno is a beloved local spot for its otherwise clean, blue waters that some have previously said could rival the Maldives.
It lies within the city of Salerno, which serves as a gateway to the Amalfi Coast – a popular international tourist spot.
Meanwhile, tourists have been banned from a long stretch of sea on Spain’s Costa Blanca due to an invasion of venomous and bizarre “blue dragons”.
Categorised as a sea slug, the deadly creatures are dubbed “the most beautiful killer in the ocean”.
The mysterious and rarely spotted blue seabeast – also known as the blue angel with wings like a dragon – is just over an inch long.
But it has a sting as powerful as the much larger Portuguese man o’ war – and preys on them too.
The creatures absorb their prey’s venom – concentrating it at the end of their finger-like extremities to ward off attackers.
Although they look like mini Pokemon, the beasts can even turn cannibalistic – sometimes eating each other in captivity.
To protect swimmers on this popular stretch of coastline in Spain, red flags have been put up and lifeguards are voicing warnings with loudhailers.
Reg flags went up on beaches in Guardamar del Segura just north of Torrevieja following the appearance of the blue dragons.
