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A racism row has erupted at a German beach where bathers were told they must speak the language by a lifeguard.

Mathias Nobel, lifeguard at the Heidebad lakeside beach in Halle, eastern Germany, banned those who could not speak German from the lake this summer.

He said bathers should be able to understand safety rules, implementing the language rule after saving a toddler who almost drowned in June after swimming into a 42m-deep section of the lake.

Described as the 'German-only' policy, Mr Nobel was accused of discrimination and racism.

Authorities in Halle told him to row back on the language rules and warned moves which 'might be perceived as xenophobic' could damage the city's reputation.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) seized on the row and said German swimming pools were becoming 'danger zones'.

It added: 'When private operators are forced to implement their own language controls to ensure the safety of swimmers, the state's loss of control has definitively reached the heart of our society.'

But Mr Nobel was criticised by the German life-saving association and the country's anti-discrimination agency pointed out there were no equivalent rules for German tourists bathing abroad.

A German beach has caused a racism row after its lifeguard ruled bathers must speak German

Heidebad beach in Halle, north-east Germany, saw the rules introduced after Mathias Nobel said swimmers' safety was threatened

He told The Telegraph: 'I had large families coming by and when I tried to explain the safety rules to the parents, it was clear they could not understand me.

'It was the same if I asked them how old their children were, because under-fives swim for free here. And if I saw a child swimming without armbands, and tried to speak with them, the response was simply "ja, ja" [yes, yes], and I did not feel they knew what I meant.'

He said he was worried the language barrier could cause serious harm and added he denies any allegations of racism.

For him, the issue was about 'listening to lifeguards' and 'respect'.

Halle lies in the former East German state of Saxony-Anhalt, which is set for elections next month in which immigration remains a primary issue.

Currently the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is the largest party in the state parliament but the AfD finished second in the last poll and will look to add to its 23 seats in the 83-strong legislature.

Nationally CDU Chancellor Friedrich Merz has taken a hard line on immigration in response to the AfD threat.

Over the weekend, Merz's government continued a spat with Italy over migrant transfers under the EU's Dublin system, which gives responsibility for asylum-seekers to the first bloc country the individual entered.