Get your skates on Brits in Spain

RECENT information supplied by German online platform Statista has revealed that despite (or perhaps because of) Brexit, there are almost 300,000 British expatriates settled in Spain.

Top of the population chart is Andalucia which runs across eight Provinces from Sevilla to Granada and boasts more than 92,000 British residents (a massive 31.44 per cent of those living in Spain) with the largest number settled in the Costa del Sol.

Many Brits like to have the reassurance of being able to be served by English speakers which is why there are so many British owned businesses across the area, even though the Spanish are particularly adapt at speaking English as well as many other languages.

With a relatively low cost of living compared to the UK, decent weather most of the time, British schools, cheapish regular flights and a less frantic pace of life, depending on where you choose to settle, Andalucia deservedly takes top spot.

In fifth place is the Balearic Islands with 19,569 and British residents who make up 6.7 per cent of the

British population in Spain and as one in five residents in Ibiza and Mallorca are foreign expats, the British contingent fit in well, with the ‘trendier’ in Ibiza and the more settled in Mallorca.

Bad news for Banksy

PALMA Council is toughening up the municipal legislation to enforce greater penalties for vandalism and graffiti.

Local Public Safety and Civility councillor Miquel Busquets confirmed that they are studying “how far they can go” regarding the severity of the punishment for antisocial behaviour.

Sr Busquets added that, in addition to increasing fines for spraying public property, culprits could also be prosecuted criminally if the graffiti is made in the historic old town or on listed buildings.

Current legislation passed in 2017 already raised fines for minor faults from €300 to

Proverb Of The Week

€750, with serious offences punished with up to €1,500 and very serious ones fined with up to €3,000.

The announcement comes after a video went viral on social networks showing a group of three hooded youngsters spraying an underground train at Son Sardina station during the daytime, with the train in service and the driver inside the cabin.

The video was filmed by commuters waiting on the platform and shows how the driver shouted at them to stop while a fourth person stood in front of the train to stop it from moving while the other three finished the job.

“Better to be safe than sorry”

Meaning that it is better to be careful now so that problems do not occur later on. The proverb was first recorded in 1837, by Irish novelist Samuel Lover in his novel ‘Rory O’More’.

A REVOLUTIONARY new sports installation has arrived in Mallorca.

Known as a Pump Track, it consists of an obstacle course for bicycles, scooters, skates and different types of boards, such as skateboards.

Located on the outskirts of Palmanyola (Buñola), the Pump Track is striking to behold with its steep climbs, drops, curves and different gradients.

It was built following ongoing requests by residents as the tracks are becoming increasingly popular among young people throughout Spain, and once it opens it will be the first of its kind on the island.

However, not everyone is happy with the project. The Enduro Downhill Mallorca organisation has criticised the installation on social media claiming that it is “badly designed and dangerous,” pointing out several technical faults that would prevent users from building up the necessary momentum to navigate the successive obstacles.

This view is shared by cycling and skating experts in Mallorca, who insist that knowledge of the sports is necessary when it comes to designing a track of this type.