This is the stomach-churning moment when Rio de Janeiro’s famous Copacabana Beach is swamped by raw sewage.

The murky liquid was spilled onto the golden sands – made famous by crooner Barry Manilow – on 8th February after heavy rains battered the Brazilian city.

The golden beach is one of the most famous in the world, where locals have mingled with the international jet set since the 1960s.

But local swimming instructor Fabio Iskandarian, 41, says it is not the first time this has happened and accuses authorities of simply hiding the sewage with sand.

He told local media: “Every time this problem happens, this storm drain breaks, they pass a tractor over there, they cover it with sand to ‘put make-up on it’.

“On a sunny day, when it doesn’t rain, people don’t even know it’s there. But when it rains, the water washes away all the sand. And this time it was really very strong.

“Usually, it only flows in a straight line into the water, but this time it spread throughout the sand from post four to post five.

“Aguas do Rio has been trying to do something, with a lorry. I think they keep draining what’s inside these storm drains, but it’s kind of palliative.”

Fabio revealed that even when the wastewater dries up, the sand is left a darker shade and, revoltingly, bits of solid residue are left behind.

He said: “I honestly don’t know when we will be able to swim there again. Our meeting point is right there and it’s very complicated.”

Water company Aguas do Rio has claimed that the sewage spill was caused by high tide.

The State Environmental Institute has collected seawater samples to assess whether it is now safe to swim there. The results will be released today (10th February).