Church attack
Vandals have stolen items from the
Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación church
in Torrox. They are also reported to have
desecrated the building and stolen the
key in an attack last month. Church
officials condemned the incident, adding
that the stolen items were purely
decorative and have no monetary value.
Police suspect
A Guardia Civil officer from Granada is
amongst 50 people detained following an
anti-drugs operation in Málaga and Cádiz
last month. Raids on May 15 were the
culmination of an investigation which
began last August. The gang is believed to
have brought in drugs by sea and then
distributed them across Europe hidden in
lorries.
Vélez fire
Fifty people were evacuated from their
homes in Vélez-Málaga early on May 13
after fire broke out in calle Molino de
Cristo. Fire crews attended the blaze
which started in a garage and damaged
eight vehicles. No-one was injured in the
incident although fire crews experienced
danger from the thick clouds of smoke
coming from the underground storage
area.
Lost overnight
A 34-year-old woman accompanied by
five teenagers were found safe and well
last month after being reported missing
overnight near Nerja. The alert was
raised by their families after they failed
to return from a walk along the course of
the Chillar river. Their whereabouts was
discovered early the next morning by a
rescue helicopter and all were reported
to be fit and well.
Employment grants
Málaga’s provincial government, the
Diputación, is inviting applications for
grants from employers prepared to hire
older, long-term unemployed workers. A
similar initiative last year resulted in
placing 50 people in work for at least two
years across the province. Full details
have been published in the province’s
official bulletin and applications will be
received until the budget of €800,000 is
exhausted.
Pitch renewal
Nerja Town Hall has accepted a bid
from Kaoka, Obras y Servicios SL to
upgrade the municipal football pitch.
The project has a budget of over
€245,000. This will include replacing the
artificial turf and supplying new
perimeter railings.
Fewer Blue Flags
this summer
The province of Málaga has been
awarded eight fewer Blue Flags to fly
on its beaches and marinas this year,
although the town of Nerja has once
again won none at all. The certification
has been awarded since 1987 by the
Foundation for Environmental
Education (FEE) to tourist facilities and
operators which meet stringent
standards including quality, safety,
environmental education and
information, the provision of services
and general environmental
management.
This year, Spain is permitted to display
669 Blue Flags, 28 fewer than last year
but enough for the country to maintain
its position as world leader. Amongst
the provinces, Valencia won the most
(150), followed by Cataluña (120) and
Galicia (119). The 98 flags awarded to
Andalucía put it in fourth place
nationally.
The FEE said that 53 beaches across the
country were denied Blue Flags for
failing to comply with legislation, 23
because of the poor quality of their
bathing water and 14 for failing
adequately to treat urban waste.
Secretary of State for Tourism, Isabel
Oliver, said the drop in the number of
flags was “not a drama” but a fact
which would lead to improvements.
The requirements, she added, are “very
demanding” and underline the need
for the preservation and care of tourist
amenities.
Along the east coast, Vélez-Málaga will
fly flags at Benajarafe, Torre del Mar
and La Caleta Paseo beaches, while the
beach at Algarroba Costa and Ferrera
beach in Torrox have also been
awarded the accolade. In addition, the
marina at Caleta de Vélez is one of five
ports in Málaga which have again been
awarded a Blue Flag.
On Granada’s Costa Tropical, Playa
Calahonda has regained the Blue Flag
which it lost three years ago for
economic reasons, while flags have
been retained at Torrenueva and at
Playa Granada in Motril.
80,000 bees invade
Granada home
A couple in the small town of Pinos
Puente north-west of Granada had a
problem this spring. They were unable
to sleep because of an unidentified
buzzing noise in their bedroom.
After three months of sleepless nights,
they decided they needed help and,
having previously seen large numbers
of bees in the area, they called on
specialist beekeeper Sergio Guerrero to
investigate. But when he arrived on
May 12, he had a shock - even for
someone experienced in handling the
insects. Behind a bedroom wall, he
discovered a colony, estimated to be
80,000 bees strong, which had been
growing for the last two years. Sr
Guerrero said he was surprised that the
couple had been able to share a house
for so long with their noisy neighbours.
Experts say the bees will have been
encouraged by the large numbers of
18
wild flowers in the area and by the
high temperatures of recent summers
which have extended the bees’
reproductive period. Sr Guerrero says
he has been asked to deal with more
problem swarms than ever this year,
suggesting the population is in good
health.
It took seven hours to remove the bees
using a special suction system which
meant that all the insects were
extracted safely. They were later
released in the countryside at least 800
metres from the nearest population
centre to seek a new home.
While Granada’s bee population
appears to be thriving, bees have been
on a decline worldwide in recent years.
Some species were added to the
endangered list in 2017 and 2018 in an
effort to protect and revive their
numbers.