Beaches at Durban’s swanky seaside suburb of Umhlanga remain closed until the water quality is tested.

The eThekwini Municipality shut the beaches on Wednesday after a pipe burst‚ spilling sewage into the water and the promenade. The area is popular with locals and tourists.

The Umhlanga Urban Improvement Precinct (UIP) posted an alert on social media platforms to inform residents that “the municipality has issued a full closure of all Umhlanga beaches due to a burst sewer pipe”.

UIP spokesman Cara Reilly said on Thursday that the sewage spill had been resolved “thanks to the efforts of the council’s waste water department who worked through the night‚ and identified the issue deep in the vegetation”.

“The re-instatement of this vegetation and related retaining wall will be monitored by the UIP but the promenade is open and fully usable.

“The beaches remain closed while we wait for the water quality test to be carried out‚ and once this is done we will inform stakeholders‚” added Reilly.