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Tourists visiting the Costa del Sol have been warned to stay out of the water after swimmers who took a dip in the sea suffered mysterious skin reactions.

Holidaymakers and locals were told to stay out of the water at four beaches in the popular holiday resort of Benalmadena.

Around 20 people suffered skin problems yesterday, a day after four beaches in nearby Malaga were closed to bathing following sewage and stormwater discharges caused by a surprise storm in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Three of the Malaga beaches reopened yesterday, but Benalmadena Town Hall has yet to update its advice following emergency water quality tests.

The first Benalmadena beach to hoist a red flag was Santa Ana Beach just after midday yesterday.

Shortly afterwards the same decision to ban bathing was taken at three other beaches in the popular resort, Bil-Bil, Arroyo de la Miel and Los Melilleros.

The cause of the skin reactions suffered by bathers was still unclear this morning, as the results of checks carried out to determine whether there was any water contamination have not been made public.

A local council spokesman said: 'Benalmádena maintains the red flag and the swimming ban at several points along its coastline.

Holidaymakers and locals were told to stay out of the water at four beaches in the popular holiday resort of Benalmadena (File image)

'The beaches of Santa Ana, Bil-Bil, Arroyo de la Miel and Los Melilleros still have red flags up, so swimming is prohibited.

'The Town Hall asks beachgoers to respect the signage and follow the instructions of the safety and rescue services at all times.'

A yellow warning flag went up at two other beaches in Benalmadena the same day because of jellyfish.

One local press report about the skin reactions some bathers suffered highlighted the fact they occurred near a stretch of coastline where a major spill occurred last year due to a ruptured pipeline.

Council officials hoisted a yellow flag as a warning during the incident in May last year as the sea turned a disgusting brown colour.

Clean-up work still going on at San Andres Beach in Malaga yesterday meant a red flag was still up there following its Saturday closure after the surprise summer storm.

The other three Malaga beaches affected got back to normal yesterday.