News
Gang wars
Nerja versus motor
homes
Police arrested three local men and
seized four firearms plus ammunition
after shots were heard in the La Palmilla
and La Trinidad districts of Málaga. The
incident early on March 18 is believed
to have been a clash between two rival
gangs. National Police are continuing to
investigate whether anyone was injured
after blood was found on the wall of a
house in the area. An association representing Spain’s
private caravan owners has hit out at
Nerja Town Hall after motor homes
were fined while in the municipality
recently. PAVA (Plataforma de
Autocaravanas Autonoma de España)
says the sanctions were “illegal” and
accused the town of a “crusade” against
the vehicles’ owners.
Family job The group’s president, Jesús Gallardo,
claimed last month that he had
received around 50 complaints from
his members who had parked in Nerja.
He alleged that in one week, over 100
fines of €50 each were handed out to
motor home owners who, he claimed,
“spend about €60 every day we are in
Nerja.”
National Police in Torre del Mar have
detained two people, aged 41 and 36
years, after two commercial premises
were broken into on the same night.
The suspects, both Spanish nationals,
are understood to be a married
couple with previous convictions. The
wife is reported to have kept guard
while the husband broke into the
properties.
New base
Talks re-opened last month on plans to
build a new base for the Guardia Civil
in Nerja. The existing offices on calle
San Miguel are expected to move to a
new site close to the town’s fire station
on the Frigliana road. Local police and
the town’s Civil Protection unit will also
move there in the future, creating a
common base for all the municipality’s
security services.
Water levels
Water stored in the Axarquía reservoir
at La Viñuela is reported to be about 54
cubic hectometres as spring arrives.
That represents about a third of its total
capacity, and compares with 75 cubic
hectometres at the same time last year.
Rainfall since last September has
totalled around 180 litres per square
metre (equivalent to about seven inches)
which is less than half the historical
average for the period.
Shopping curtailed
The village of Benaoján near Ronda
became the first to clamp down on
residents leaving homes on several
occasions a day to buy small amounts of
food and drink. Mayor Soraya García
said stricter controls were being
introduced and called on residents to do
a complete week’s shopping in one
outing during the health emergency.
Local businesses have also agreed to
restrict opening hours from 7.00am to
3.00pm.
Nerja’s by-laws state that parking of
motor homes, as well as tents, caravans
and trailers, is not permitted in several
areas, while in places where it is legal,
parking is permitted for only 24 hours
at one location. The Town Hall has
erected posters around the town
advising visitors of these rules.
However, PACA claims that
judgements from “higher courts”
means that motor homes cannot be
limited, and that its members intend to
appeal against the fines imposed. The
town hall, meanwhile, has claimed that
action has been taken “in response to
complaints from local residents,”
adding that an electoral promise was
made to provide an area in the
municipality for the parking of motor
homes.
Vélez gourmet market
in doubt
The future of the former municipal
market in the San Francisco district of
Vélez-Málaga is doubt, 18 months after
it opened an outlet for gourmet foods
and crafts. Some €3 million of
European funds was invested in
converting the building which attracted
almost 20 retailers to begin with, but
which is now reduced to five craft stalls
and a beer outlet.
The business group which initiated and
managed the initiative is reported to
have pulled out as a result of poor
public response. They said they were
also disappointed by the “neglect and
abandonment” to which the building
had been subjected.
There have also been claims that stall
holders had failed to receive any legal
paperwork confirming their place
within the market, raising fears that
they could be evicted at any time. Their
complaints and demands for better
conditions has previously been raised
18
by members of the Izquiera Unida
group on Vélez-Málaga Town Council.
However, the council says that interest
remains in the gourmet market, “which
was the initiative of the councillor for
enterprise and employment, María José
Roberto.” It is understood that plans are
underway to re-advertise vacant stalls
in the market but the San Francisco
Merchants Association says it is already
too late. “The new San Francisco
Market has been a project that has been
left to die,” said the association’s
secretary, Senén Bueno.
Locust threat
Experts have warned that the
migratory flight of locusts presently
plaguing central Africa could spread to
Spain. The Council of Scientific
Investigations says climatic conditions
would have to be right, but it would
not be the first time the insects have
jumped continents. They say the most
recent arrivals of locusts from north
Africa was in 1997 and 2006.