Coconuts cleared from Brazilian beaches
Golden beaches in South America are being cleaned up in an environmental drive to make them more attractive to Brazilian property owners.
The environment agency in Rio de Janeiro, the host city for the football World Cup in 2014 and the 2016 Olympic Games, has said that the fruit loved by thirsty residents and tourists will be banned from December.
"Go on Ipanema beach at the end of the day and you’ll see a mountain of coconuts that people have left on the sand. What attracts rats most to the beach are coconut husks," the official in charge of the beaches, Jovanildo Savastano, told AFP.
Rio’s mayor Eduardo Paes has said that he will rethink the ban but only if the thousands of people hitting the city’s beaches start to clean up after themselves, with up to 30 tons of empty coconuts being recovered every day at the moment.
Beachgoers will still be able to get their favourite sunshine tipple in bottles or cans from local stores.
Rio has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, with Ipanema and Copacabana providing excellent places for enjoying a relaxing day by the sea.
