These two regions had 58 swimming bans, 30 on beaches in Tietê and Oeste, where the summer season began in May, and 28 in the Centre.

In the Tagus and West, the beaches in the municipality of Cascais, in the district of Lisbon, were the most closed, while in the Centre they were those in the municipality of Arganil, in the district of Coimbra.

In addition to the beaches in these regions, those in the Algarve had nine of them closed for swimming, those in the North two and those in Alentejo one.

The 70 bathing bans that occurred between the months of May and October were due to the presence of intestinal enterococci, 'Escherichia coli' (E. coli), cyanobacteria and salmonella in the water, said the APA.

August was the month with the highest number of closures (28), followed by July (25), June (7), September (5), May (3) and, finally, October (2).

The beaches in the Centre and South of the country were the ones that were most closed during this summer season, but those in the North led the way in advising against swimming.

The 2024 bathing season opened on May 1st, in the municipality of Cascais, in the district of Lisbon, and in some places in Madeira, and ran until October 31st and municipalities can establish, within that period, the specific season for each area.

Between these dates, city councils determined when the bathing season began and ended in their territory, with some choosing to start earlier and end later.

This year, 516 bathing waters were identified in mainland Portugal: 362 coastal or transitional waters and 154 interior waters.

In addition to these, there are 88 in the Autonomous Region of the Azores and 60 in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.

Throughout the bathing season, APA carries out analyzes to assess whether the quality of bathing water is suitable for bathing.