Cheaper gas
More driving under
the influence
The State Prosecutor says that cases of
driving while under the influence of
alcohol or drugs have risen by ten per
cent over the last 12 months. More than
40 per cent of drivers who died in traffic
accidents tested positive for one or both,
according to preliminary data published
last month.
The price of a large (12.5 kilo) butane gas
cylinder fell by 4.98% last month and now
costs €13.17. The bottles, used by eight
million homes in Spain, have now fallen in
price for the third time this year. The
government will undertake the next
routine review of the price of bottled gas in
July.
Price caps
New EU-wide caps on pricing mobile phone
calls and text messages became effective on
May 15. A private user whose phone is
registered in one of the EU’s 28 states can
call another state and expect to pay no
more than 19 cents a minute, while SMS
texts are capped at 6 cents a minute (both
+IVA/VAT). The EEA countries Norway,
Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Iceland are
expected to join the scheme soon.
Bear attacks
Spain and France are discussing what to do
about a female brown bear released in the
French Pyrenees which crossed into
Navarre and killed a number of sheep. The
bear and another female were brought
from Slovenia and fitted with tracking
devices in an effort to boost the population
in south-western France. Some farmers
have fitted their sheep with such devices
and plan to deploy guard dogs.
Climber found
The body of a Spanish mountaineer who
went missing in 1990 has been found in the
Argentinean Andes. Mateo Parrilla was last
seen 29 years ago when he was 500 metres
from the summit of the 5,000-metre El
Rincón peak. His remains and rucksack are
reported to have been preserved under
layers of snow and ice after he apparently
suffered a fall.
Drug restricted
Spanish health authorities have restricted
the use of Tofacitinib, a drug prescribed for
rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis. They
say there is a risk of a pulmonary
embolism or blood clot on the lungs in
patients aged over 50. Those taking the
drug are advised not to stop immediately
but to ask their GP for advice.
Pere Navarro, head of the DGT, the
national traffic authority, has called for
an increase in the number of roadside
checks to reduce the “attitude of
impunity” displayed by some drivers.
However, this would be contrary to the
cutbacks introduced by the previous
Partido Popular government which
reduced alcohol breath tests on Spain’s
roads by a fifth. From 2013 when 6.4
million drivers were screened, the total
fell to 5.18 million within four years. In
2017, there were 51,085 sentences passed
on those found to be driving under the
influence, a total which rose to 56,173
last year.
In April, Spanish police were given the
power to examine a driver’s mobile
phone, although the new measure can
only be used with a court order, and not
“on the spot” at the scene of an incident.
The use of mobiles while driving has
been shown to be one of the main
threats to road safety in Spain, with a
number of studies concluding that the
practice increases the risk of accidents
by 20 per cent.
Using a mobile phone while driving in
Spain can result in a €200 fine plus
three points removed from the driver’s
licence. However, if an accident results
in serious injuries or death, criminal
charges can be brought and a prison
sentence is possible.
Fraudsters take €8m
from tourists
Spain is one of the countries most
widely targeted by holiday fraudsters,
according to the Association of British
Travel Agents (ABTA). A report
published last month says that in 2018,
over 5,000 British holiday makers lost
over £7 (€8) million to holiday and
travel related fraud in 14 per cent more
incidents than during the previous
year.
The average amount lost was £1,380
(€1,570) per person but the report says
many incidents may have gone
unreported. In addition, they say, such
crimes can have a high emotional
impact.
Over half of the reported frauds in
2018 were related to the sale of airline
tickets. These reports were made
consistently throughout the year, and
recorded the largest individual single
loss of over £425,000, in August.
The next most common fraud, which
accounted for a quarter of the total,
related to the sale of accommodation.
ABTA says fraudsters are using
increasingly sophisticated methods
10
with very professional and convincing
websites offering upmarket villas for
rent. Although some of these villas are
fictitious, many actually exist, but are
being offered by fraudsters without the
legitimate owner’s knowledge. Spain
and France are the two destinations
most commonly targeted.
Action Fraud, ABTA and Get Safe
Online have now published advice on
how to avoid becoming a victim of
holiday booking fraud at
http://abta.com/fraud. They say
victims should report incidents to
Action Fraud via
www.actionfraud.police.uk.
Long payback
A 53-year-old British woman who
committed benefits fraud in the UK
while living in Spain has been given
over 900 years to repay the cash.
Grimsby Crown Court heard she
admitted stealing £88,000 (over
€100,000) between 2013 and 2016. She
was handed a 12-month suspended
sentence and is paying back the
outstanding amount at £7.65 (€8.70) a
month.