The Government department has a raft of advice for UK travellers and it has recently updated its information for Spain
A warning has been issued for families heading to Spain(Image: Getty Images)
A vital warning has been issued to families who are planning to go to Spain on holiday this summer. This is particularly relevant as many parts of Europe, including Spain, experience heatwave temperatures.
The alert concerns the safety of children in swimming pools and the sea. Updating its travel information, the UK Foreign Office pointed out that “every year people drown in the sea and in swimming pools in Spain”.
It went on to explain the risks and what parents should do to make sure their little ones are safe while on holiday. The department stressed that children must always be supervised. This comes as easyJet recently announced five new routes from Newcastle Airport, including flights to Barcelona, as reported by ChronicleLive.
What are the latest warnings about?
Firstly, the section for safety at swimming pools has been updated. The Foreign Office says: “Always supervise children. Keep small children within arms-reach in and around swimming pools, even if they can swim or there is a lifeguard present.”
For people heading to beaches in Spain, the guidance adds: “Take care when swimming in the sea. Always supervise children and keep small children within arms-reach. Some beaches, especially around Spanish islands, may have strong undercurrents.
“Hidden rocks or shallow depths can cause serious injury or death. Do not dive into unknown water and do not swim at beaches where a river runs into the sea.
“Many beaches have a flag system. Make sure you understand the system and follow any warnings (a red flag means you must not enter the water). Take extra care and get local knowledge if there are no lifeguards, flags or signs. If you are walking along unmonitored beaches, be aware that waves can come in further than expected and have strong undertows.”
The warning comes after Spain saw heatwave temperatures across various parts of the Iberian Peninsula in June. Spain’s national weather service, Aemet, issued red alerts for temperatures of 44C in southern Andalusia as well as warnings of 40C in the normally temperate Cantabria and the Basque Country regions along its northern Atlantic coast.
Aemet meteorologist Rubén del Campo said Spain, which has experienced increasingly torrid summers of late, is only going to get hotter because of climate change as heatwaves become more frequent, longer and appear outside the traditional window of July and August. Of the dozen heatwaves Aemet has recorded in the month of June since it started tracking them in 1975, half have occurred since 2015, Mr del Campo said.
Human-driven climate change is heating up the atmosphere, both above Spain and in the surrounding sea waters, he said. With temperatures likely to remain warm over the coming summer weeks, more people will be looking to cool down in pools or sea water.
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