A health warning has been issued for the Canary Islands after experts have warned of "unacceptable" health hazards. The Tenerife Association of Friends of Nature (ATAN) warns of a health scandal in Tenerife.

The EU condemns the discharges, beaches are closed due to pollution, and thousands of visitors will continue to put their health at risk in 2026, it says. ATAN claims that Tenerife has been exposing residents and tourists to an unacceptable health hazard for years.

The recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for non-compliance with the Urban Wastewater Directive highlights 12 critical points in Tenerife due to a lack of collectors, treatment and control of discharges into the sea.

Although the ruling assesses the situation in 2020 and does not yet impose a fine, the Commission may impose sanctions if the situation is not corrected urgently.

During 2025, iconic beaches have been closed due to faecal contamination, such as Playa Jardín (Puerto de la Cruz), closed for almost a year due to E. coli levels well above the limits, with cracks in the discharge pipes and deficiencies in municipal sanitation.

Anyone who went swimming in the north of Tenerife during these months may have done so in contaminated waters, without clear, multilingual information in real time.

The scandalous situation continues with no apparent action by the competent authorities.

At the beginning of 2026, storms and heavy rains have brought the problem back to the forefront: overflowing pipes and spillways have made sewage visible in several areas of the Tenerife coast, with stains, foam and discharges that anyone can recognise at a glance. These are not isolated incidents, but rather an ongoing problem.

Back in 2019, Europe imposed a €12million (£10.4million) fine on Spain, plus an additional €10.9million (£9.4million) every six months for continued non-compliance, with Valle de Güímar (Tenerife) among the cases cited; the cumulative cost was around €22million (£19million) a year later.

The repetition of European criticism shows that sanitation and treatment infrastructure has not been up to standard, despite announcements of investment.

The official figures themselves reveal the magnitude of the situation.

The land and sea discharge census updated by the Canary Islands Government in 2025 identifies 403 discharge points, 216 of which are unauthorised (more than 50%); Tenerife accounts for most of these.