Workers in Gozo had to deal with a stinking mess in Xlendi on Monday evening after a sewage pipe burst during ongoing reconstruction works on the road leading down to the bay.

The ministry yesterday urged swimmers to avoid the inner part of the bay pending the results of contamination tests to establish whether the popular bay had become contaminated with sewage.

A joint effort was undertaken between various government departments to fix the damage to the main pipe underneath the road, which caters for sewage from the Xlendi Bay area to the Ras il-Ħobż sewage treatment plant.

Workers tried to prevent sewage from seeping into the bay, while cleaning and disinfecting the road.

The projects and development department within the Gozo Ministry, the Public Health Department, the Water Services Corporation, Enemalta and the Civil Protection Department were all involved in the operation, which continued late into the night on Monday.