25th - 31st August 2017
EST 2005
British anger over terror in Barcelona BRITISH expatriates in Spain have condemned the carnage in Barcelona. On August 17 a van was driven into pedestrians on La Rambla in Barcelona, killing 14 and injuring at least 100. A woman was murdered in a related attack in Cambrils and another in Alcanar. Resident Jon Budd said the attack is a “horrifying reminder of how vulnerable we all are in Europe. It’s a cowardly act perpetrated by people who murder women and children and run away.” Mr Budd praised the Spanish response, adding “the police in the UK can learn from the Spanish police - when five men get out of a car with a suicide vest, you shoot them on the spot.” Jessica Smith, visiting Almeria at the time, echoed the sentiments, saying “the Spanish responded in kind. Governments need to be unequivocal in their defence of people. It’s getting out of hand. Nowhere is safe.”
VERA BEACHES: In need of attention.
Troubled waters R E S I D E N T S ’ a s s o c i a t i o n Ve r aplayazul has called on Vera Council to investigate the pollution of local beaches. “If the origin is not in Vera we have to find out where it is coming from,” said president Miguel Jurado. “We also want to know the cause of the bubbles and slicks, although we are convinced that they come from the inadequate water purifier at Villaricos and the under water pipes at Cuevas de Almanzora.” Polluted water is currently seen on a near daily basis along Vera’s seven kilometres of beaches, including Marina Bolaga, which has been awarded a blue flag for its cleanliness. Most common in the afternoon, Veraplayazul claim that the dirty water has forced many beachgoers to seek alternative spots for bathing. The 8,000-member association urged the mayor, Felix Lopez, to take action at a town hall meeting last Wednesday. They also highlighted a number of
issues that they say remain unresolved or are worsening each year, such as a need for more intensive beach cleaning, the lack of progress on the seafront walkway, which has been mooted for ‘decades.’ Three residents of the naturist area and Pueblo Salinas neighbourhood described the ‘total abandonment’ of certain municipal ser vices including street cleaning, gardening, lighting, childrens’ facilities and modern dustbins. The mayor himself agreed that he had been taken aback by the state of the Pueblo Salinas neighbourhood on a recent visit, before urging delegates from municipal cleaning services to ensure that their staf f perform their jobs more diligently. Other issues raised included the need to protect the Salar de los Canos wetland, to complete a cycle path on the Rio Antas bridge, and to reduce noise pollution from the Dreambeach music festival and local nightclubs.