Much-talked-about swimming spots on a Paris canal were temporarily shut down on Monday because of pollution. The three floating pools on the Canal de l’Ourcq were closed because the water quality was “unsatisfactory”, tweeted the city of Paris.

Although the cause of the pollution is not yet clear, some reports said heavy rain over the past two or three days had led to higher than normal levels of enterococci bacteria. Authorities said the pools would remain shut until the water is clean, reported AFP.

The pools were inaugurated last week, after it took the city a decade to clean the canal water for those who could not afford seaside holidays each summer. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo had called the pools “a dream come true.

Hidalgo wants the river Seine to be cleaned up as part of its bid for the 2024 Olympics. She had said she hopes the traithlon swimming and 10-kilometre open water events can be held in the river.