British tourists barred from Italian island amid 'explosive' hygiene warning

British holidaymakers have been barred from visiting the renowned Italian hotspot, Capri Island, following an 'explosive health and hygiene warning'. The picturesque destination, a magnet for tourists, is grappling with severe water shortages, leaving vast swathes of the area parched.

Paolo Falco, the mayor of Capri, has decisively clamped down on tourism, prohibiting new arrivals to the island amid concerns that the strain on essential services could reach breaking point, reports the Mirror. Mayor Falco said: "The health and hygiene situation is explosive, we have taken our countermeasures and activated the crisis unit and issued a restrictive order."

The disruption stems from a breakdown in the mainland's water provision, which Capri depends on. While the main tourist areas still have access to water, certain remote parts of Anacapri's higher region are completely without.

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The island's water system is entirely reliant on local reservoirs, which are at risk of depleting without the mainland's input. Ticket sales for mainland travel were abruptly halted on the mayor's orders, resulting in massive queues of passengers at Naples' ports, the primary departure point for most ferries to Capri.

The Daily Express reports that tourists already aboard boats and hydrofoils were left disappointed when maritime authorities ordered all vessels to return to the mainland and disembark passengers, However, the ban was later lifted by the mayor after he confirmed that the technical issues disrupting water supplies had been resolved.

Capri, located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off Italy's Sorrentine Peninsula in the Bay of Naples, is famous for its dramatic cliffs, luxury resorts, and colourful gardens, drawing a large number of day visitors each season. The 1,300 locals residing on the island were unaffected by the ban and were permitted to collect up to 25 litres of drinking water per household from a supply tanker.

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