Swimming pool in Malaga town forced to close after vandals turn water red

One of the four municipal outdoor swimming pools in Alhaurín de la Torre - the one in Torrealquería - has been forced to close abruptly after an act of vandalism dyed the water red. The Guadalhorce valley pool was discovered this way on Monday morning, only two weeks after it opened for the summer season. At the moment, it is not known what substance has been used to change the colour.

Town hall maintenance staff are working hard to bring the water back to normal. "We must remember that we are dealing with chemical products and we don't know how they will react, nor how long it will take to recover the optimum conditions for bathing," said sports councillor Sergio Cortés. Although the town hall has not announced a reopening date, Cortés said that initial efforts to restore the water to normality have already dissolved the red colour a little bit.

Once the dye has been removed and the pool is safe for swimming, the usual summer timetable will resume: from 11am to 8pm, from Monday to Sunday (until 31 August).

Recently, the town hall finished another project in the area - the improvements to the San Joaquín sports park and cross country circuit, located next to the El Cardón tennis court complex. For this initiative, fences have been installed along the road to prevent vehicles from entering this open-air area. The aim is also to protect this area from damage and prevent unauthorised gatherings.