News
Runaway van
At the end of August, pedestrians in
Frigiliana were surprised by a runaway
van which careered down 13 steps in Calle
Puerta del Molino. The driver was
delivering ice to local shops and had failed
to put on the handbrake properly.
Luckily, a handrail hindered the vehicle’s
further progress and with no-one on the
steps at the time, there were no reports of
injuries.
Scooter rules
New regulations for users of electric
scooters in the city of Málaga are expected
to come into force this month. The rules
will classify the scooters as vehicles, so
restricting them to cycle lanes and roads,
and making their use on pavements
illegal. The regulations, which the town
hall says are being introduced to “protect
pedestrians” set a maximum speed for
scooters of 30 kilometres per hour.
Carcasses dumped
An animal welfare group says the bodies
of dogs and cats which are killed by traffic
on the A-356 road in Vélez-Málaga are
being dumped in ditches at the roadside.
Tidus has reported these “illegal burials”
to police because such incidents are
supposed to be reported to the animal’s
owner. The regional government, which is
responsible for the road, says it is
investigating.
Medic abused
A staff member at Torre del Mar’s
emergency medical centre has reported
abuse from a member of the public. In a
verbal attack last month, the individual’s
family were threatened. The suspect was
arrested by police and the complaint is
now in the hands of the College of
Physicians in Málaga.
Drought threat
As the hydrological year ended on
September 30, Málaga’s largest reservoir
at La Viñuela in the Axarquía was at an
uncomfortably low level. Even the heavy
rains of mid-September failed to make
much impact on the water level which
was approaching official drought levels.
This is not reported to be an emergency,
but authorities have put the reservoir on
alert.
Nerja water plant –
the final chapter?
In what could be the final chapter of a
long, drawn-out saga, work is expected
to re-start on Nerja’s water treatment
plant this month. The town was
advised in the middle of September
that the modified plan which it had
submitted for the system had finally
been approved by the Ministry of
Ecological Transition.
The town’s mayor, José Alberto Armijo,
said it was “very good news” and that
the company now executing the
project, Latania, was expected to take
eight months to complete it. Still
outstanding, however, is confirmation
that once the plant is completed and
fully tested, the Ministry will hand over
its administration to Nerja Town
Council.
The project as now modified and
approved allows for the installation of
additional collection pipes around the
municipality. The government’s sub-
delegate in Málaga, María Gámez, said
the work must be carried out in a
manner which does not affect the
ambient environment or the
enjoyment of Burriana beach, “which is
important for residents and visitors
alike.”
The project to build a water treatment
plant in Nerja was first offered for
tender at the start of the century, but it
was not until 2013 that it was
contracted with a budget of €23.24
million to be paid by central
government. Work began in 2014, but
was halted in 2017 when one of the
three companies in the winning
consortium was forced in bankruptcy.
The plant itself is situated on the N-
340 road between Nerja and Maro, and
is reported to be over 90 per cent
complete. The additional work now
authorised has increased the cost of the
project by over €2 million.
Huge drugs gang bust
on the coast
Eighteen people have been arrested by
Guardia Civil officers based in Vélez-
Málaga suspected of being members of
a criminal gang who brought large
quantities of drugs into Spain from
Morocco. More than a ton of hashish,
around 28,000 kilos, has been seized
during the operation.
The investigation began earlier this
year when it was suspected that an
individual in Marbella was directing
numerous people to bring in the drugs
by boat, and then store it in “nurseries”
at various points along the coast. The
material was subsequently sold to a
buyer who distributed across Europe
by road.
Investigators believe that increased
pressure from security services in the
Campo de Gibraltar has forced drugs
traffickers to move their operations
east along the coast. Evidence of this
appeared in May when a boat was
spotted on a beach in Nerja and two
vans were apprehended, one of which
16
was loaded with 38 bales of hashish.
Around 1,000 litres of fuel was
confiscated which investigators believe
would have been used to refuel the
vessel in which the drugs had arrived.
These events triggered three house
searches and the arrests of nine people,
including the head of the gang and
those responsible for its logistics, who
now faces charges of membership of a
criminal organization and drug
trafficking. Over 1,200 kilos of hashish,
cash and four vehicles were
confiscated.
Meanwhile, a 43-year-old resident of
Alcaucín was detained near the
watchtower in Maro in early
September after 17 kilos of marijuana
was found in his car. Guardia Civil
officers, who approached the car
because it was illegally parked,
discovered him naked inside,
accompanied by a German shepherd
dog. The €9,521 in cash he was carrying
was confiscated.