Three more beaches have banned tourists from swimming in Spain because of potentially deadly sea creatures, weeks after another spate of closures.
Red flags have popped up at Villaricos, which lies between the port city of Cartagena and Almeria in south-east Spain.
Town authorities in Cuevas del Almanzora, which Villaricos is part of, announced the ban late last night, just weeks after other beaches banned swimming due to fears of the Blue Dragons.
It said: ‘Due to a blue dragon sighting in Cala Siret in Villaricos, the town hall has informed us of a bathing ban on the whole of its coastline, affecting the beaches of Cala Verde, el Playazo, and Cala Siret.’
The rest of the beaches in Cuevas del Almanzora will fly yellow flags as a ‘precaution’ against the deadly creatures.
Tourists and locals alike have been urged not to touch the blue dragons under any circumstances, and to alert authorities if they find one.
In Costa Blanca, red flags popped up along a seven-mile stretch of Spain’s Costa Blanca further north for the same reason.
The deadly sea slugs, known as Glaucus atlanticus, feed on the deadly Portuguese man o’ war and other venomous sea beasts.
The blue creatures absorb the stinging cells from their food and store them in concentrated doses, giving them a far more potent sting than their prey.
Typical symptoms of the blue dragon’s sting include nausea, pain, vomiting and acute allergic contact dermatitis.
Guardamar del Segura mayor Jose Luis Saez previously said: ‘If you get stung, wash the area affected with salt water and head to your nearest first aid point or health centre.
‘These creatures are poisonous and their stings can cause nausea, pain and vomiting.
‘We remind people that despite its bright and striking colour and its small 1.5-inch size, they should stay away from this animal because of its sting.’
Blue sharks, which rarely bite humans but have been implicated in several biting incidents, have forced the temporary closure of beaches on the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca in recent years.
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