OTTAWA — The Canadian government has updated its travel information for Barbados, advising that the South Coast of Barbados, between Hastings and St. Lawrence areas, is experiencing an overflow of raw sewage due to a mechanical breakdown.

A new alert on the Government of Canada’s website, travel.gc.ca, advises Canadians travelling to Barbados to “avoid the affected area and follow the instructions of local authorities.”

The alert is at travel.gc.ca/destinations/barbados, listed under the Safety & Security tab.

Both the U.S. and UK have issued similar alerts for travellers heading to Barbados.

At gov.uk, the Foreign Office updated the Health section of its Barbados travel advice yesterday, warning that certain areas of the South Coast are experiencing breakdowns of sewage pipes and advising travellers to avoid coming into direct contact with raw sewage and noting that normal hygiene precautions should be followed.

Local news site BarbadosToday.bb says the sewage problems go back at least a year or more and become more of an issue with heavy rainfall.