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H H U U R R D D LLEE

No Orihuela Costa Beach Bars For Easter

When closing down the beach bars on 31 December, despite the Orihuela council promising that they would reopen for Easter, they have now said that the new contract will not be ready in time. This also means there will be no sunbeds, umbrellas or the offer of water sports. There will however, be a lifeguard service from April 1 to 10.

Indeed the council is now stating that because of the complexity of the contract they may not be ready for the start of the summer, just another example of the Orihuela council’s lack of interest in the coast.

Courts withdraw permission for construction of 300 homes in Orihuela Costa

The Valencian Superior Court of Justice has issued a ruling declaring the expiration of the program for the development of almost 300 houses, set back from the N332, adjacent to the Orihuela Costa Go Kart Track.

With all of the legal processes and amendments, now complete, the Animal Protection Law has taken another, and definitive step again this week, with the Congress of Deputies approving most of the changes presented by the Senate during their assessment.

With hundreds of amendments in the penultimate draft, the Senate presented twenty major changes to the law of which the deputies have approved a dozen.

The one thing that has not changed, is that hunting dogs still do not fall within the regulations.

All dog owners must pass a simple canine knowledge test. Carlos Alfonso López, from the RSCE veterinarian association, explains: “The test will have three parts, one on care and veterinary, another on animal welfare and another on legislation. The idea is that the documents can be downloaded and filled out online for free”. In addition, those who take care of a dog must have civil liability insurance for damages to third parties, a regulation similar to the one that already exists in communities such as Madrid and the Basque Country. According to industry estimates, for small dogs they can range from 20 to 50 euro a year, while policies for dangerous dogs — already mandatory— range between 50 and 100 euro a year; Many home insurance policies already include this type of coverage.

The ban on homeless people having pets is also removed completely.

Another important aspect is that the list of 8 potentially dangerous dog breeds (the PPP) is no longer abolished, which means once again certain breeds of dogs will have to wear a muzzle and be on a short leash when out and about. It was planned that the owners would be assessed, rather than the dogs, as classifying by breed seemed unfair to many. This attitude remains.

The ban on leaving a pet unsupervised for more than 3 consecutive days has been approved. In the case of dogs, this is reduced to 24 hours.

Those who have species outside the 'Positive List of Companion Animals' will have a period of 6 months to notify the authorities and adapt to the measures that are in place for their possession. This list is still to be confirmed.

The new law will expressly prohibit the "commer- cialisation of dogs, cats and ferrets in pet shops, as well as their display and exposure to the public for commercial purposes." The sale of smaller animals will still be permitted in pet shops, and those shops can act as adoption centres. Likewise, practices such as "regularly keeping dogs and cats on terraces, balconies, rooftops, storage rooms, basements, patios and similar or vehicles" or "carrying animals tied to moving motor vehicles" are prohibited.

The new laws also include the introduction of mechanisms to control the breeding and sale of animals. In general terms, individuals will be prohibited from carrying out this activity, which can only be undertaken by "persons duly registered", professionals who comply with all the guarantees of animal welfare. Among these limits will be, for example, the restriction of the number of litters that each female can have. The fine for irregularly raising animals for commercial purposes will be that corresponding to very serious offences: from 50,001 to 200,000 euro. The use of wild animals in circuses is also prohibited throughout the national territory, as is already the case in many of the autonomous communities, and failure to comply with this precept will be considered very serious, also with a fine of up to 200,000 euro. Specifically, "the use of animals in prohibited activities, particularly in cultural and festive activities, in mechanical attractions, fairground carousels, as well as the use of wildlife species in circus shows" will be sanctioned, and, in the same way, "the use of animals in crib exhibitions, parades or processions" will be expressly prohibited.

These are some of the aspects that have been modified from the previous text. With the green light from Congress, the law is now ready for publication in the BOE and will enter into force in 6 months.

The developer, Marcos y Bañuls and the Orihuela City Council are currently evaluating whether they will present an appeal which they must do within a period of thirty days.

Officials Issue Travel Warning To Uk Tourists Amid Passport Chaos

Travel officials have issued a warning to UK residents planning to travel to Spain due to the ongoing passport chaos affecting Spanish airports. Over the weekend,around 1,000 passengers were affected at Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas airport due to long queues causing them to miss their connecting flights.

The ALA has warned a large influx of Brits could put huge pressure on passport controls.

CONSUMER PRICES RISE BY 6% IN FEBRUARY

Consumer prices rose by 6.0% YoY in February, up from 5.9% in January, driven by a significant rise in fresh food prices, up 16.6% YoY.

This final reading was slightly lower than the flash estimate of 6.1% released two weeks ago, and in line with analysts' expectations. Although the govt approved a reduction in VAT on some basic food products in early 2023, food prices have continued to rise.

Two Years and Still no “Urgent” Expansion to Torrevieja Police Station

According to a report from the Los Verdes in Torrevieja, the “urgent” project to expand the Local Police station in Torrevieja, approved two years ago, has still not be processed, adding yet another failure to deliver by the ruling Partido Popular (PP) government, another example, they say, of the “mixture of ineptitude and disinterest in priority issues shown by the Partido Popular.