Beaches in Spanish hotspot turn orange sparking protests from 'angry' locals

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Spanish locals are said to be furious and baffled thanks to an orange clay-like substance now covers beaches in one of its popular hotspots.It turns out Marbella city council has placed orange-tinted sand on local shores intentionally to help make them stronger after being hit by powerful storms earlier this year.

Many residents are allegedly unhappy with the move, who say it's tougher to clean from clothes and skin than traditional sand.So far, officials have dumped 600,000 cubic metres of the material on the city's shores, reports the Express.

The council expects the colour to fade as time goes on, but the move has reportedly seen backlash from people who aren't used to its vibrant shade, even sparking protests.In mid-June, around 300 people took to the streets to protest with concerns being raised about the contents and appearance of the substance.Local journalist Juan Carlos Angulo shared images of the substance on the beach.

In a Twitter post, translated from Spanish, Hhe said: "In case we don't have enough seaweed, chocolate on the Fontanilla beach in Marbella in mid-July, there is now also orange-red sand."Fears were also raised this may have a negative impact on the tourism of the area with holidaymakers generating a large amount of income for the city each year.Marbella is located in the province of Málaga, which is part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in Spain.