Health checks on bathing water: in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, "the latest analyses are good"
"Banning swimming is a real problem that impacts our work," says a restaurateur on the Flots-Bleus promenade in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, who wishes to remain anonymous.
"A real scourge" even on this coastline plagued by beach closures due to chronic pollution attributed to malfunctions in the town's wastewater treatment plant.
"We hadn't seen the prohibition signs."For years, the water quality at Flots-Bleus and the Beach Club has been "insufficient" , according to the ARS. The other two beaches in the area, Landsberg and Cousteau, have been closed to swimming since 2020 for the former and 2023 for the latter (1).
"If a bathing area is classified as inadequate for five consecutive years, the municipality must prohibit swimming for at least the following season and pending improvement in the annual classification," says Fabrice Tassonville of the regional health agency.
This Friday, August 1, 2025, the barriers meant to prohibit access to these two beaches were on the ground, torn down. The barely visible no-swimming signs did nothing to deter several dozen people from laying down their towels and others from getting into the water.
Saïd, his wife, and his daughter are Parisians, on vacation for a few days in Saint-Laurent. They set up their towels on Cousteau Beach: "We didn't see a sign. But is swimming forbidden? We didn't know. It's true that there's seaweed and the water isn't very clear. And my wife has been noticing that there's a smell since a while ago..."
Asma also thought that this beach was open: "My husband and daughters and I arrived and since there was no one there, we settled in without asking too many questions and the water seems clean even if at times there is a rather strong smell of rotten seaweed."
On the nearby, authorized beach of Flots-Bleus, we meet Simone, a Laurentine: "I'm more of a morning person, I come for my little morning walk in the water, it's practical as we can walk the whole way. Afterwards, I sunbathe. It's right next to the closed beaches. And I've never had any health problems. Even though I'm not that young anymore!"
Leïla also continues to frequent the beaches of Saint-Laurent with her three children : "I don't go to the ones that are closed and I don't ask myself whether it could be dangerous to be right next to them. But I don't think so. In any case, we've never had anything. But on the city's website, the analyses of the Flots-Bleus beach where I go are good at the moment. That's reassuring!"
Luc is from Le Havre (Seine-Maritime). This is his first time staying in Saint-Laurent-du-Var: "We're with family, we're staying right next door, opposite the beach. Isn't the water safe for swimming here? The beach is open, and the flag is green." He returns a few minutes later, more reassured: "At the first aid station, they told me it was safe to swim."
"There have been no more problems since the membranes in the treatment plant were changed."This is also confirmed by the town hall by revealing the results of the latest ARS samples, made public on its website (2): "Since the beginning of summer, all the results have been good on all our beaches, including Cousteau and Landsberg, which were closed as a precautionary measure. We have not experienced any problems."
So in Saint-Laurent, we hope that everything will return to normal next season with the reopening of Cousteau and Landsberg beaches.
(1): This is also the case for Gorbio beach in Menton, which has been banned from swimming due to samples indicating persistent contamination.
Nice Matin
