A racism row has erupted at a German beach where bathers were told they must speak the language by a lifeguard. Mathias Nobel, lifeguard at the Heidebad lakeside beach in Halle, eastern Germany, banned those who could not speak German from the lake this summer. Authorities in Halle told him to row back on the language rules and warned moves which 'might be perceived as xenophobic' could damage the city's reputation. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) seized on the row and said German swimming pools were becoming 'danger zones'. But Mr Nobel was criticised by the German life-saving association and the country's anti-discrimination agency pointed out there were no equivalent rules for German tourists bathing abroad.