Soltalk December 2018 | Page 12

Rainbow reward pic: Dave Jamieson Rainbow over Burriana November 20, 2018 EU plans to abolish changing the clocks twice a year have been delayed. Ministers wanted to end the practice in March 2019 but after a number of states called for more time to debate the issue, the present system may remain in place until 2021. Geographically, Spain should be in the same time zone as the UK and Portugal and critics say being an hour ahead leads to longer working hours but lower productivity. Holiday fraudsters convicted Four members of the same British family have been jailed and fined by a court in Liverpool after submitting a fake food poisoning claim following their holiday in Benidorm during July 2015. All four alleged they became ill after eating the hotel food. Jet2 Holidays said in a statement that each of the four was sentenced to three months in prison and fined £750 (€842) for, “concocting a fake claim for gastric illness to win compensation.” They were also ordered to pay the travel operator’s legal costs. Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said “For some time we have warned that making false claims could lead to serious consequences, and this ruling shows how serious they can be.” Courts strike They demanded around £50,000 (€56,700) compensation from travel operator Jet2 Holidays after their stay at Aqua Magic Rock Gardens Hotel. The group filed their claim when they returned to the UK alleging that the hotel food had given them nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps. Almost 500 trials were suspended in Málaga last month as the province’s judges and prosecutors took part in a nationwide one-day strike. The stoppage, in support of more resources and greater independence, was reported to have attracted a “massive” response across the country. Their representatives are also calling for better pay, an increase in the establishment and improved working conditions. However, the court heard that all four had posted messages on social media sites, stating that they were having “the best holiday ever” and “enjoying every minute.” Hotel records were produced which showed they had been ordering alcohol, including beer, gin and vodka, even when they were supposed to be unwell. Contraband gang Tax authorities in Granada, working with customs officials in Croatia, have broken up an international gang importing and distributing contraband tobacco. Three people have been detained and four tons of tobacco destined for Spain seized. Officers found raw tobacco was being stored in an industrial unit at Chauchina, west of the capital, until it could be used to produce consumable products for sale. 10 Hotels are responsible for the claims made against travel operators, and Spain’s hoteliers believe they have lost millions of Euros after thousands of similar complaints were filed by British holidaymakers over several years. Fourteen months ago, the British government promised to crackdown on the “holiday sickness claims culture” which is not evident in other European countries.