THE WEATHER
Edition 323
B
Friday 26th May 2017
SCHENGEN SHAMBLES
ig hold ups, that began last weekend at AlicanteElche airport, have caused passengers to and from the UK to faint, due to long delays caused at passport control, after a new system of security checks ordered by the European Union. Three police unions have blamed their bosses for the delays, saying that not enough officers had been deployed to cope with the increased number of travellers that have to be checked. UK passport holders are the biggest group hit at Alicante-Elche airport, because the EU directive calls for stricter checks between passengers travelling to and from the Schengen Zone. The Zone is essentially a passport-free borderless area of the EU, which the UK refused to be
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part of, due to security concerns. Now rather than a passport being gently waved at a control, Spanish authorities are now having to carry out a full check on every holder via a computer database. The Courier received a number of calls from UK travellers complaining about the massive hold-ups, especially last weekend, with the police unions saying that at least two women fainted in the heat, and needed medical attention. The unions slammed their chiefs for not having any forward planning in dealing with the EU directive, especially as it was put into place at the start of April. The officers say that the large number of passengers cannot be coped with by the limited staff, and that whilst passenger numbers have rocketed at the facility
over the last few years, police numbers are exactly the same as a decade ago. The unions added that last weekend just one or two National Police officers were on duty to check the passports of people involved with several flights at the same time, leading to a massive backlog.
Meanwhile there could be additional misery on way for travellers using AlicanteElche, with news that the three main airport unions are planning industrial action over the busy summer period, if no further progress is made with airport owner AENA over wage and contract negotiations.
BRITS IN SEA ALERT
British father and son were rescued from the waters at La Zenia beach on the Orihuela Costa on Monday, after they got into difficulties during the strong afternoon tides. Sunbathers and swimmers at the beach, along with staff at the La Zenia Hotel, noticed at around 3.00 pm that a 46-year-old man and his 13-year-old son were struggling in the waters not far the complex, and called the emergency services. Orihuela local police officers, a Torrevieja fire crew,
and the fire emergency helicopter based in the Alicante area at San Vicente del Raspeig, all rushed to the scene when they got a midafternoon call that the bathers were in trouble because of swelling caused by the Levante winds, making it difficult to get to shore. In the end, the helicopter was not required to help out. Two La Zenia Hotel workers got into the water first to help the father and son, with the youngster caught by the currents in a rocky area by the cliff, whilst the wife/mother looked on anx-
iously. The bathers were able to get to stagger to land with the help of the hotel employees and fireman, with the father suffering cuts due to being grazed by some rocks and the boy being sick due to the amount of sea water that he had taken in. Otherwise the duo were fine, but exhausted by their efforts to get out of the water. Other swimmers reported that the strong current and swelling in the waters had made things dangerous for them in getting back to shore over a number of days
during the afternoon. There is no lifeguard cover for Orihuela Costa beaches until the service starts in mid-June.
See page 2 for the week´s forecast