Well, it must be nice to be welcomed back with good news, especially for those of you that left your chalets and villas behind – either empty or ‘baby sat’ – during your summer absence.

The Guardia Civil has cracked a gang of Romanians who dedicated themselves to knocking over (robbing) houses, with their occupants in them at the time. This gang had ‘processed’ nearly ten properties in only 15 days, mostly in Los Pinos, Fuentes de Almuñécar and the Punta de la Mona.

They had no problem scaling two stories to enter through open balcony windows at night… with the occupants snoring inside.

These burglars entered the buildings with the express mission of finding the keys for the owner’s tempting luxury cars.

What led to the downfall of the gang that had been adjusting people’s private patrimony via house calls were their mistakes – everybody makes mistakes, even the Pope: puddles around the Papal WC, for instance. Some members of the gang had neglected to wear gloves, leaving irrefutable and damning testimony to their own guilt, once arrested.

According to the police report, the three arrested men used a hostal in Almuñécar as their base of operations, where they had been staying for a whole month without raising suspicion.

Taking advantage of the fact that in the summer just about everybody sleeps with their windows open, these agile blighters were after the Mercedes, Audis and Volkswagen Tuaregs that are often parked just outside… oh, and they weren’t averse to pocketing the odd bit of jewellery on the way, mind. The luxury cars were passed onto foreign ‘dealers’ in this line. However, smaller, less flashy ones were also stolen and used as private transport for getting around in.

Owing to a surge in burglaries of houses on luxury urbanisations in recent times, the Guardia Civil had mounted a special, plain-clothes patrol in unmarked cars, and it was one of these patrols that rumbled our slippery friends in the act: on the 23rd August, they recognised a Renault Scenic that had been reported stolen and gave chase. They finally cornered them in La Herradura and arrested our three Romanian friends.

All told, the gang had stolen a Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta, Renault Scenic, Mercedes Vito (which is a van) and a 4x4 Volkswagen Tuareg. All but the last have been recovered.

Another tactic that the burglars used was probably employed when they couldn’t get the car out of a garage without risking setting off a house alarm, for instance. In this case, they just took the keys. The next day, if nothing else was missing, the owner would probably just think, “Where the hell did I put the damned car keys,” grab the spare set and go down to town. Consequently the thieves would follow him and as soon as he had parked it and walked off, they would stomp over and whistle it away. Even if the owner realised that they had been burgled and that the car keys had been taken, more than a few victims, in their impatience, would run the risk of taking the car down to town the next day, either to report the incident and/or see a garage about getting the lock changed. During the summer, with mechanics either overworked or on holiday, that is a virtual impossibility.

The increased police surveillance came after a spate of sometimes brutal robberies. For example, on the 31st May, the Guardia Civil arrested an ‘international gang’ that had tied up and beaten members of a family during a burglary until they were given the combination for the safe in the house. This case was known as the ‘Kidnap Express’ and happened in Las Gabias, Granada.

But even if you don’t have the misfortune of interrupting these chappies in action, for the house owners concerned, the feeling of desecration is hard to dispel and will probably change forever their ‘cosy-home’ atmosphere.

You won’t find any sneezing parrots in Almuñécar’s bird park (Loro Sexi), Folks, because they have all been vaccinated against bird flu, as have our avian amigos up in the Peña Escrita mountain park. All the emus got the jab (I wouldn’t have liked to have been the vet, in this case) and the 120 different species of birds, e.g. vociferous parrots and poncey peacocks.

In a general council meeting at the beginning of August, a desalination plant was unanimously approved, costing some 25m euros, which will provide drinking water for the new housing areas under the proposed PGOU. I should point out that this was not the only item on the agenda and, when we say unanimously approved it, it should be noted that none of the four elected PSOE members to the council were present. Going back to the water plant, it was agreed that it should not take more than three months to draw up the project and that the actual execution of the building phase should not exceed 16 months. Finally, whoever takes it on will have 20 years exploitation rights. It is calculated that during the first phase of the construction the plant will be able to provide 16c/mts of drinking water per day and by the second phase, 24c/mts. Well, that’s the end of the straight reporting part; now let’s take it apart. Before I do, let me make it completely clear that I think that such an installation for Almuñécar is a bloody good idea. Right, that said, here we go. There are two basic questions that beg to be asked: A) who pays for it, and B) who benefits from it? Well, as for point A, as nothing was mentioned otherwise, it will be paid out of local taxes (municipal coffers) and, with a bit of luck, some heavy grants from the regional and national level. Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, it comes solely out of our pockets… With a population of around 26,000 and 25m euros to split between us… that’s just under 1,000 euros each. Right, how about point B? Well, you would immediately say the house owners, but who really benefits from this? The answer is the building developers who are going to build the houses, of course. If there is no water, then they can’t build them. No water – no juicy profits. The building developers make a quick killing and bugger off and, quite frankly, they couldn’t give a damn what happens to the houses afterwards; whether they have sufficient water and electricity supply, for example, or whether the municipal sewage disposal capacity is up to it. The councillors who approve the building projects are not worried about it either, because the problems will begin to show up when they are long out of office and probably retired - they just see the immediate financial benefit from granting these building permissions. So, bearing this in mind, let me make a suggestion: let the building developers who want to exploit the lands eventually provided by the PGOU pay for the desalination plant. They can pass the cost on to the house prices, and if they become too expensive and not very attractive to prospective buyers – tough bloody luck, old bean.

The Town Hall’s efforts to do up Almuñécar’s inner streets and outlying lanes continue. The work on the Cuesta de Carmen and Marqués de Montefuerte, for example, were concluded at the beginning of last month. This was part of the plan, launched last year, with a budget of 90,000 euros. That’s a strange figure, isn’t it; why not 100,000 euros? Ah yes, of course; It’s exactly 15 million pesetas – what a surprise! Anyway, if you want to take a decco (peek), Cuesta de Carmen is the one that leads up to the Old Town, from the Paseo del Altillo not far from the CK photo shop. Well done, Mr Mayor – credit where it’s due.

There is a chance that there might be a wind farm within the boundaries of own municipality. No, I’m not talking about a broad bean plantation but a wind-powered electricity generating station, like the one on the way up to Granada, with its herd of majestic wind mills. The proposed project contemplates 20 of these giant propellers, capable of producing around 100m kws a year, which is about the amount that a town of 25,000 consumes. The accord signed between the Mayor and Antonio Martínez from Aires del Corredor (the company concerned) agrees to explore the possibility and if viable, to the construction of such an installation. The burning question, of course, is where? The Municipal Engineer, Julio Rodán, said that it would be in the north of the municipality. The first step will be to set up a tower in the ideal spot to measure the wind strength over a period of a year. If all goes well, then we’re talking about a total of three or four years for it to be built and come into production. Apart from making Almuñécar self-sufficient – with the present population – it will do its part on cutting pack on pollution. Hmmm…. Desalination plants and wind-powered power stations… When did you say that the next municipal elections were? Cynicism apart, it’s a step in the right direction, of course.

Meanwhile, back on whinge mode, we bring you the following. On the 16th of last month, i.e. the day after the big day on the coast with only the tail end of summer to go, the provincial authorities up in Granada announced that they had hired four more boats to help the existing two that have been charged with cleaning the sea off our beaches of jellyfish. Now, the jellyfish swarms had moved their way from east to west, passing from Almería, crossing Granada and waving fond farewell as they swam into Malagueña waters. As soon as they crossed this watery frontier, the Málaga authorities revealed that they had hired special fishing boats for the task. Two things to note here: firstly, the Granada boys made their announcement after Málaga had made theirs and when the bulk of the jellyfish were heading off to the west, and secondly, the Málaga fishing boats had depth, as well as surface, nets, unlike the Granada ones. This second point is important because, according to fishermen, the jellyfish sink when they pick up the vibrations of motors. Never has it been clearer that those coastal provinces with their capitals actually on the coast – Granada is the only exception, having an inland one – take better care of the economies of their coastal towns.

The breakwater project along Velilla way is causing a stink amongst those affected. As reported in a previous Seaside Gazette issue, around 800 inhabitants of the west end of Velilla beach will lose the garden area and even communal swimming pool of the blocks where they live. The situation is the following: the Town Hall decided that it wanted to build a breakwater to regenerate the beach at the western end. Costas (which is the governmental department in charge of all of Spain’s coastline and up to 100mts inland from the shore line) says, “Fine, but you will have to give back land that we ceded your municipality back in 1985.” Guess where the swimming pool is sitting – yep, on those 900sq/mts of land previously ceded. Velimar II, Velimar II and Punta Velilla are the three apartment blocks affected, in other words, 200 apartments. What really irks these people is that Aquatropic water park, which is also sitting on reclaimed land from the sea, and which is only a dozen metres away, will not be touched. Furthermore, many other blocks have gardens that occupy land belonging to Costas, therefore, argue the tenants, why isn’t the burden shared out between all of them? The Town Hall, overflowing with understanding and compassion, remarked that the apartment owners have nothing to complain about, arguing that they have enjoyed the use of land that does not belong to them for over 20 years – something that, admittedly, wasn’t pointed out to them when they bought their properties.

Allow me to translate part of this tongue-in-cheek article from a columnist, Andrés Cárdenas, in the Ideal newspaper: “More and more Guiris are coming (here). After colonising the Valle de Lecrín and La Alpujarra, now the sons of the Perfidious Albion (Brits) and elsewhere are casting their eyes ever more upon the coast. In Almuñécar and Salobreña bars with their menus only in English proliferate, and the estate agents instead of putting ‘Se Vende’ now sport ‘For Sale,’ and instead of ‘Se Alquila’ put ‘Rentals.’ In the USA, I understand, there are more and more signs in Spanish, while over here, we get them in English!” One thing is for sure, though, there has been a noticeable increase in foreign tourists this summer and fewer Spaniards. There could be two reasons for this: the same amount of Spanish visitors are arriving, but more spaced out, instead of the 15th to 15th summer crush. Secondly, the new generation of Brits, for example, that have come to live here tend to stick the summer out, giving the impression that there are more foreign visitors.

The underground parking installations in the Paseo de San Cristóbal will be built over a period of nine months (Yeah, right, just like the ones in Don Juan Carlos and the Paseo del Altillo!). The car park will lie between the Mar de Plata and Hotel Helios, running under the paseo (promenade), providing 295 parking spaces. A local business owner commented, “We’re the first to welcome such parking, but they should make sure that they get it right (eluding to the Altillo parking that should have taken one year, but took three).”

‘Fresh Cool Boy’ come to La Herradura - stop sighing ‘if only,’ girls! Local football field Las Tejas played venue to this first of what we hope to be many ventures. Ok, so the concert did start almost an hour late and the tickets were 10 or 15 euros - pretty steep outlay for the whole families that came along and participated, if you ask me. But then, most seemed impressed by the concert, not to mention the choreography and fire show. And of course, there was always the opportunity to enjoy it from neighbouring balconies. With a reasonable security presence, enough food and drink and a good atmosphere all round, it’s no surprise that a lot of the La Herradura bars went on until 4 o’clock in the morning. Not bad going for a Tuesday night, really!

Intrepid swimmers cross the Bay as 125 contestants swam, with most starting from the Peña Parda end and undertaking the entire 2,000 metres across the Eastern side of La Herradura’s gorgeous bay. With perfect weather conditions and an anticipated start time of 10.30am, (yeh, right…) swimmers were divided into three categories: Juniors, Veterans and Masters, according to age. In this eleventh annual crossing, the overall male winner, Ignacio Fernández Ordóñez from Málaga, who managed the crossing in 25 minutes and 47 seconds. The overall female winner was Maria Principal Gallardo, taking a mere 27 minutes and 54 seconds. Winners from each category clearly earned their trophies and even the four swimmers, representing the local area were recognised separately for their efforts. All participants were invited to enjoy the awards ceremony over refreshments (involving exertion of a different kind!) at the Hotel Almijara. Congratulations to all and well done for out-swimming the jellyfish, as pointed out by the local press…

New 500+ car park planned below the football field, Las Tejas. Expected to cost more than 8.5 million euros, two floors will be built to accommodate 545 cars and with any luck should be ready in about 16 months. Of course, whilst the construction work is taking place, all matches will have to be transferred to Almuñécar and ultimately, the field itself is destined to have artificial grass. Clearly the aim is to service the growing needs of the village, as anyone who has lived to tell the tale about summer madness can confirm. Also, it should offer a solution to the parking loss, which will inevitably happen if and when the seaside paseo comes to be. I have to say that people can’t help but ask why it has to be bigger than the main car park in Almuñécar and, naturally, what on earth is happening to the white elephant of a car park situated under the Plaza de Independencia? One step forward …

Fortress recovered, Casa Fuerte destroyed, as Benavides signs an agreement with the Rector of the Seville University Pablo de Olavide to undertake a study of the historical restoration of the Fortress in La Herradura. The municipality of Almuñécar is expected to contribute some 27,561 euros towards this project, with an anticipated timeframe of 10 months. The idea, according to the Mayor, is that the study should involve thorough and detailed investigation about the entire area of La Herradura, destined for the enjoyment by current and future generations in the village. It will also form a valuable part of the actual physical restoration of the fortress, since it will provide material to be included within the intended museum.

In contrast, sadly the zone popularly known as the ‘Casa Fuerte’ (one of the oldest points of La Herradura, just as you enter the village after the traffic lights) has now been demolished. It was actually a collection of buildings from various eras, with an official estimate on the main part dating back over 100 years. Local historian, José Ángel Ruiz Morales, uncovered that there is part of this area which dates back to 1765, as the Royal Quarter for the Infantry and Cavalry or Barracks for La Herradura. It placed the village as a strategic point along the Granada coast, under the reign of Carlos III. Despite many attempts to save this historic site, which formed the first fixed building at the origin of La Herradura, the ‘battle’ is finally over. A sad loss to the village, in order to make way for yet another apartment block, a complex of 68 units. It will be interesting to see what the investigations by the Seville University on the history of La Herradura are permitted to unveil.

Go ahead on Sub aquatic park as the fishing industry along the Costa Tropical suffers even further decline. Although the Nautical Headquarters of the Costa Tropical have happily released images of the regeneration occurring in the reef during the past 18 months within La Herradura’s bay, fauna and flora along the coast has clearly dropped in recent years. Before the project of the underwater park set to stretch around La Herradura, Marina del Este and Almuñécar was stopped over environmental concerns approximately a year ago, the Headquarters had submerged various matter to determine just how quickly the reef would re-populate and how. At a depth of 1.8 metres, it was clear that the elements that had been dropped down had already gained some ‘occupants’ as plant life, whilst animals had also started to populate the area. These successful images are timely, given that the Council of the Environment has just within the last few weeks given a conditional green light to the Sub aquatic park. Consistent with the objective of regenerating the seabed, this project has been allowed to recommence on the basis that water sport zones are carefully respected and therefore noise pollution minimized. In addition, certain co-ordinates are to be avoided, when submerging matter to create the reef. Let’s see how things progress.

In the meantime, Galician crustaceans on the menu as three points along the Granada coastline have been selected as ideal points to cultivate these creatures. Not just a means to repopulating our depleted waters (fish have been getting smaller and smaller, with the fishing industry’s waistlines getting tighter and tighter!), this new area of cultivation should contribute to the local fishing industry in a positive way. It also may lead to additional developments if the industry grows sufficiently, offering commercial opportunities to associated industries such as canning. The points selected along the Costa Tropical include La Herradura, Los Berengueles and Castell de Ferro, since these best replicate the original farming waters.

‘Living in the Sun’ visits La Herradura and Almuñécar, taking in historical and cultural shots of our area. Apart from focusing on the normal tourist sites, the objective is apparently to give an accurate and updated interpretation of the Costa Tropical, with all its merits, particularly as a winter holiday destination (interesting that they should be filming now?). With in excess of four million viewers on BBC1 in the United Kingdom, Living in the Sun could offer the boost that the area needs for a new source of high-caliber tourists. Can’t imagine they’ll be paying much attention to the colour of the flags, the quantities of jellyfish, or the price of paellas!

Visitor loses his life ignoring red flag. Sadly, a Swiss tourist, who was actually on holiday in Torrox from his usual home in the Balearics, took a risk and swam when the red flag was up at La Herradura beach. Joaquín Barbero of Chambao de Joaquín was on site to offer his assistance, once the tourist obviously got into difficulty. Despite attempts to revive the man in his thirties, they were unable to save him. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

We know that longevity is right here right now, as Doña Nicolasa of La Herradura reaches 101 years of age! We always said that a Mediterranean diet and lifestyle was good for you. Here’s the proof. I have to admit, though, that Mussolini had a point when he commented about he relative merits of lions and sheep. Quality, my dear, I fear that’s the point!

Las Gaviotas finally gets its wall, after months of protests and a proper full day strike by staff and parents concerned about the safety of students adjacent to the Viveros. Just in time for the new academic year (by the way, parents who are keen to know just how much longer we have to endure of this endless summer break, staff are back at the school as from the first week in September to check starting dates for classes!), the boundary wall will be in place. This will be two metres high, consisting of galvanized iron and cement. You’ll be also pleased to note that the infants’ school has had their patio better organised, so as to give the children an extra 120 square metres of recreational space. Hurray: tired children!

Arctic seal visits Marina del Este, although nobody seemed to be able to capture it to determine its actual state, until CREMA (Centre for Recovery of Endangered Marine life) representatives arrived. Spotted by the Dive Club La Herradura, it’s thought that the seal arrived here via some cold currents, since it’s the first sighting documented along the Costa Tropical.

English Library re-opens 6th September under the municipal market. Once again, the library will be open under the auspices of Ann Maxfield and her team of librarians each Wednesday morning between 11am and 1pm. Just a quick reminder that annual membership is an exceptionally reasonable five euros for a wide range of titles, including a complete unit of recent, largely new, fiction paperbacks. The library also has a number of books for sale at only 50 centimos and they may also be interested in purchasing recently published books. Don’t forget that the library’s newsletter Bookworm is out approximately every two months, including information about local services, book reviews and what’s happening in the library itself. Speaking of which, the future of the English library is rather uncertain in 2007. The new civic centre is scheduled to be operative in November 2006, but as yet the application to continue to be part of the Spanish library remains undecided. Watch this space. From everyone at the library, condolences to Josefine Lewis on the death of her husband Terry.

If you need any extra information about the library, please ring Ann on 958 640 069.

Apart from getting a new, long-awaited wall to stop the pupils self-destructing, Las Gaviotas junior school will have computers available for both Mathematics and Language classes. Thus, La Herradura’s CP (Colegio Público) will become one of the 80 TIC (Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación) schools in the province. This has meant that half the old furniture has been replaced by ‘computer-friendly’ tables and desks, etc. If all goes to plan (but does it ever?) the school will be fully functional during the first term, meaning that kids from 3rd to 6th grade will be able to have completely computer-orientated Maths and Language classes, with access to Internet. There will be one computer between two in a class. Going back to the affair of the new wall/fence…the new fence, which is made of galvanised iron, now completely surrounds the school playground, i.e. approx 150m of fencing and sits on top of a low wall.

How could I not start off with the traffic jams? You didn’t notice them? With tailbacks stretching continuously from Torrenueva to La Herradura, who was going to be the clever git who managed to get past the junction onto the main road? Let me quote a letter in the Ideal Newspaper on the subject: “You lot look at us from the perspective of your precious Granada city, but me, somebody who lives in Salobreña and who works in Motril… During the rest of the year it takes me just over five minutes to get to work, if there is no traffic, but during the month of August, I nearly ripped my hair out in desperation, with the daily trip taking up to one hour, 45 minutes! Is this normal?” I think that this gentleman sums it up nicely, don’t you?

Could it be a sign of the times that two people in Molvízar were arrested for building on non-building land and without, of course, planning permission? The two offending houses were in Camino de Jurite and Mercaer. I haven’t got the foggiest where these places are, but you might. On the 17th August the Guardia Civil arrested a 47-year-old woman for erecting a building, ‘destined to be a dwelling.’ The next day they nabbed a 32-year old man for doing the same in the Mercaer area. No, when you take into accounts that these two people were Spaniards – locals from the village – perhaps you should think twice before knocking up a five-bedroom ‘apero,’ with swimming pool, etc., because that’s the way it is done here and nobody gives a damn…

Talking of Molvízar, it would appear that this village is going to be the first one to enjoy the benefits of the water stored in Rules Dam. Apparently, the first stage of the water-pipe system, which will carry the water down to the Los Palmares pumping station, has been finally approved. The first to be connected up will be Molvízar. The final approval is pending any changes that the town halls would like to make to the project.

The magistrate in Motril has sentenced a Romanian to four years in prison for beating several youngsters with an iron bar as they strolled in Salobreña. On the 5th December, at midnight, I.G., who was accompanied by two fellow Rumanians, crossed over the street to begin arguing with a mixed group of local youngsters. He hit a couple of them about the head and threw the bar at a girl, producing a wound that left a 25cm-long, 3cm-wide scar. Apart from the prison sentence he must cough up a total of 13,575 euros in compensation.

Whilst on the subject of Romanians, F.P.F., a Salobreña woman, has been sentenced to two years in prison and to pay 2,160 euros in compensation for forcing two Rumanian girls to prostitute themselves. On the 23rd October 2004, the woman approached two Romanian girls in Motril and invited them back to stay at her house until they got on their feet (established themselves). Supposedly, this was going to be in exchange for housework. The two girls accepted. Within a few days, and taking advantage of the economical state of the girls, she began arranging ‘dates’ at the house with ‘clients’ and keeping a percentage of the earnings for herself. She also confiscated the girls’ personal identity documents to stop them reporting her.

Oh dear, the Salobreñeros have been busy this month… Two locals from Salobreña were arrested in Almería with eight tonnes of hashish! The Guardia actually arrested a total of six people, two of whom were from the village, when they boarded a fishing boat. It was a routine patrol of the police that noticed that the boat in question, which was tied up in the port, was lying very low in the water. They decided to go aboard and look around and… hey presto!

There is more to come! What the hell have they put in the water supply of the village to bring about this wave of crime? A couple simulated the theft of their insured jewellery, with the object of ‘paying for their holiday in Salobreña’ in a beachfront rented flat. The insurance policy was to cover 80% of the value of the jewellery. Anyway, 35-year-old J.F.R.G. skipped off down to the local Guardia Civil post to report the (tee hee!) robbery, armed with liberal amounts of lamentation, hand wringing and knuckled-back tears. The story was that they had been accosted by a bike rider wearing his helmet and threatening them with a large sharp object. This was supposed to have happened on the Paseo. With great reluctance they had been forced to hand over all their money, credit cards and jewellery to this nasty motorised man. However, the Judicial Police department of Almuñécar decided to take charge of the case and soon discovered several contradictions in the forlorn couple’s story. Perhaps what made the police most suspicious was the evident lack of haste on the part of the ‘victims’ to cancel their credit cards. So, the police decided to pay them a plain-clothes visit. Lo, when the door was opened, the police had to reach for their sunglasses owing to the blinding glitter of the missing jewellery around the good woman’s neck. If that hadn’t been enough, the husband immediately slammed the door in the faces of the policemen the moment that they showed their police badges, explaining through the door that he had been taken ill by a sudden and voracious attack of diarrhoea. (This is the truth, I promise!) After a short wait, the man again opened the door and apologised… but this time minus the jewellery, which just about proved his guilt. The police began questioning him in earnest and he soon crumbled.

On the crime front, and this is very sad, a man that was suffering from schizophrenia killed his wife by stabbing her no fewer than 174 times… he then committed suicide. It takes a long time to stab somebody 174 times, in fact, the aggressor changed knives three times. The hardened policemen who arrived at the scene of the murder remarked, “Not even in the films, nor stretching your imagination can you have any idea what we came across. I have never, ever, seen anything like it.” But it was not only the brutal attack on the victim that surprised them; the man had inflicted some hideous wounds on himself, too: he had self-inflicted 90 cuts with a razor-sharp ham knife on his wrists, neck, torso and chest. Thus ended the life of 49-year-old María Dolores González Villena, at the hands of her husband 37-year-old Amancio Rufino Fernandez, who finally took his own life, as well. Amancio had been interned on several previous occasions during his battle against this cruel mental disorder. It was the father of Amancio, accompanied by the 11-year-old son of the couple, who stumbled upon the carnage. The boy had left in the morning to take computer classes, but when he returned two hours later, nobody would answer the door, even though the TV was on… In these cases, the only villain is schizophrenia; the rest of the actors in the tragedy are the victims, especially Amancio.

Deaths cause a change in priority for drivers on the N340. It used to be possible to overtake, when travelling in either direction, on the three-lane section of the N340 between the Hotel Salobreña and La Caleta. However, on Saturday July 1st, a fatal accident occurred on this dangerous stretch of the road and, as a result, overtaking is now allowed in one direction only. If you are travelling from La Caleta towards the Salobreña Hotel, in other words towards Almuñécar, then you are allowed to overtake other vehicles if it is safe to do so. However, if you are travelling from the Hotel Salobreña towards La Caleta, in other words towards Salobreña and Motril, then you are not allowed to overtake and the road has been painted with a double solid white line to indicate this change. Please take care whenever and wherever you are driving. In the fatal accident mentioned, two people died when an Audi TT car hit two other cars, travelling in the same direction towards Motril and then hit a Renault Megane travelling in the opposite direction in a head on collision! A ten-year-old girl, travelling in the Megane, was killed instantly, with her mother and brother being seriously injured and taken to Hospital Santa Ana in Motril. A 22-year-old passenger in the Audi was also killed and a total of eight people were injured in the incident, three of them seriously. The Audi driver was arrested on charges of causing death by dangerous driving, but tested negative for alcohol and could be sent to prison for up to two years. Is the death of two people and the trauma to eight others injured in the accident worth so little?

Jellyfish Invade Salobreña Beach. For any readers who were away from Spain this summer, you might not be aware of the invasion of Jellyfish that occurred during the early part of August in Spain and other parts of the Mediterranean coastline, including France and Italy. Holidaymakers going to the beach in Salobreña were faced with the unusual site of red flags, a precaution normally used to warn people of storms or rough and dangerous seas. People were advised not to go into the sea, as it had been infested with unprecedented numbers of jellyfish, whose sting can cause heart failure in extreme cases. The Spanish Red Cross said that they had treated almost three times the number of people for stings, caused by Jellyfish, during the summer so far, than they would normally expect to treat during the holiday season. Marine biologists have said that one of the reasons for the invasion is that the temperature of the water around our shores has risen by some four degrees in the past year, creating an ideal breeding ground for these Jellyfish and encouraging them to migrate north from Africa. During this infestation along the Granada coastline, water-cleaning boats recovered some 5.5 tonnes of Jellyfish in just three days! Four beaches near Málaga were also closed and hundreds of people were stung at Torremolinos by these creatures in one day. This story about the invasion of the Jellyfish, complete with a picture of people trying to catch them with small fishing nets on the Salobreña beachfront, with the El Peñon rock in the background, made a British newspaper in the form of a major article in The Daily Telegraph. It’s more worrying to read in the article, that marine biologists are also saying, that sharks are moving further north due to the warmer water!

Salobreña Badminton Club. This club is now meeting on a regular basis on Tuesday mornings in the Salobreña sports centre from 10:00hrs to 12:00 hrs. Anyone who would like to play Badminton, whether you have played before or would like to learn the sport, will be made most welcome. You do not have to go out and buy any equipment, as there are a number of spare racquets and shuttlecocks available for you to use. The meetings are conducted in a very relaxed atmosphere; badminton is good exercise and good fun! Frank Gledhill is the man to contact about attending the club, either by telephone on 958 611 659 or by email at the following address: frankgledhill@hotmail.com. You can also contact Chris Anstey on mobile 649 129 585. Go on, do some of those things you keep promising to do, get fitter during the winter months, losing a little weight, feeling healthier and start exercising. It’s good for you, you are never too old to exercise in moderation, it keeps you active in mind and body and it can help you to live longer! Give Frank or Chris, a lady, a phone call, play Badminton and feel healthier.

The Virgen del Rosario Fiesta. This is a local fiesta and is celebrated each year at the beginning of October. (The Gazette won’t be out in time, hence announcing in the September issue – Ed.) It is one of many fiestas in the area during the year; however, this one is very special to the people of Salobreña, because the Virgen del Rosario is their patron. Her statue will be paraded on a special float during the celebrations, which is traditionally drawn by two local oxen. The procession starts in the square in front of the Ayuntamiento, then make its way through the lower parts of Salobreña and down to the beachfront. It’s also traditional to take flowers to the Virgen del Rosario on the evening before this procession takes place. During the fiesta there will be elections for the Fiesta Kings and Queens in the various age groups. There will also be a special mass celebrated on the beach on Sunday. There are activities on the beachfront for all and the children are catered for with rides, shows, etc. There will also be local (regional) food available and this will be free. You will also see traditionally dressed Andalusian horsemen and their spectacular horses during the fiesta. They will parade through the town and put their horses through their paces on the beach, which is very spectacular. There are stalls along the beachfront, as well as other attractions during the fiesta. Traditional and more modern music can be heard during the event, as well as singing and dancing from various groups. There is also a firework display on Saturday evening, subject to weather conditions and the fiesta is a great way to get involved with the local and traditional way of life here in the town of Salobreña. Other activities will be taking place in the old part of the town and not just on the beachfront, so be adventurous and see what is going on during the fiesta. The fiesta takes place on 6th, 7th and 8th October. To check out the timing of events visit the Tourist Information Office or The Ayuntamiento later this month and ask them for a programme.

The International Club of Salobreña will be holding its first meeting, after the summer break, at the Hotel Salobreña on Wednesday 27th September at 11:00hrs. This is a club for all foreigners living in the area and everyone is welcome to attend. Further information about this club and its activities, can be obtained from the secretary, Mrs. Barbara Williams, by contacting her on 958 612 233. If you are not familiar with the International Club, it meets at the Hotel Salobreña for coffee, where you can meet other foreigners living here, make new friends and find out the best places to eat. Whom they would recommend, if you are looking for someone to do some work on your property, if anyone is interested in playing golf, bridge, etc. The club also organises talks on a variety of subjects, day visits to local places of interest, as well as longer visits to other places in Spain over a number of days, with hotel accommodation being arranged as part of the trip by the club. There are also walks, B.B.Q.’s, etc. arranged on a regular basis. If you want to join this club, then contact Barbara Williams on the number given above.

Odds and Ends in Salobreña. Did you notice that there were more Police around this summer in Salobreña? This was because, during July and August, officers from various police forces were drafted down to the Granada coast. Forty-one officers came from the National police force and a further thirty-nine from the Guardia Civil. These officers were posted to the coast in an effort to combat the increased crime, that occurs during the summer population explosion and to assist in dealing with the extra boatloads of illegal immigrants during the better summer weather. In addition to the extra manpower, two ships were provided by the Marine Service, extra helicopters from the Guardia Civil and National Police, as well as sniffer dogs to detect narcotics and explosives. Due to a 240,000-euro grant from Granada, various roads around Salobreña were asphalted during the summer months, but as a result, helped to cause more traffic chaos! Work on the new covered swimming pool in Salobreña is nearing completion, with only the final safety checks and filling the pool to be carried out. It is hoped that it will be open to the public by October this year. Since 1st July your driving licence in Spain has acquired a new penalty points system. Each licence starts with twelve points, unless you have been driving for less than three years, then you start with only eight points. Are you with me so far? The authorities will deduct points if you are caught using a mobile phone when driving, exceeding the speed limit, driving the wrong way in a one way street, parking illegally, driving dangerously, etc. The number of points deducted from your licence depends on the severity of the offence and when you have lost all the points allocated, and then you lose your licence!

News from over the river. Al Campo in Motril has introduced some new systems at their checkouts during the summer months and it’s causing confusion amongst its customers, as well as the staff! One of the new checkout systems involves what they have called The Green Area and means that the supermarket will no longer provide you with free plastic bags to put your shopping in. Instead they will sell you a re-useable bag for either 10 or 70 centimos, depending on the type of material from which it is made. The assistants operating this system tell everyone, as they attempt to use the green area, that they will have to pay for the bags and, as a result, customers move to another till and stand in a queue for the next ten to fifteen minutes! Surely it is worth 10 centimos to get through the checkouts more quickly and you have a bag that you can use next time? However, Al Campo could help the whole situation by putting more people on the normal till system to help reduce the size of the queues? As plastic bags are found discarded all over the world and are difficult to dispose of, this is obviously viewed by the Al Campo supermarket chain as one of their efforts to improve the environment. Perhaps they should also get on to their suppliers of food stuffs and other products they sell and ask them to stop packing everything in so much plastic? The other new system, involves the customer passing their shopping over the bar code reader themselves, then paying for it, receiving any change due and without a shop assistant being involved. Well that’s the theory! Having used the system myself, it is not as easy as it sounds or should be and I am not sure that the staff knows how it works either! The idea is that you pass the item across the bar code reader and then put it in a plastic bag, which is suspended with others on two metal arms. However, you are not allowed to put any alcohol in the bag after it has been across the reader, but have to put it above the machine, so that the one assistant on duty in that area can see it and assess whether you are over eighteen and allowed to buy alcohol. When the bag is full do not attempt to remove the bag from the two arms as I did, or the machine thinks you have finished, should have paid for the goods and perhaps are trying to steal them! The couple on the next machine to me were having a wonderful time, as it was not working too well and they had to manually punch in the bar code number for every item they had in a very large trolley load of groceries. I think I would have given up and joined one of the queues at a normal check out! It is a good idea, but it still has some teething problems to be sorted out and when this is done it will reduce your waiting time at the tills. Now Al Campo you also need to sort out your appalling stock control system!

Intrepid Cyclist from Motril rides on a journey under the Polar Star and is sponsored by local businesses. When we were all sweltering in the heat of July, Jaime Rodriguez Martin was cycling across Iceland in eighteen stages and covering a total of some 1400 kilometres. If you want to see some details of his epic journey and some fantastic photographs from Iceland, log on to www.poscojonuo.com. The trip cost 6000 Euros. You can buy a lot of ice-lollies for that! New Service opens for Ex-Pats. Over the summer, a new service for ex-pats living in the area has opened in Motril. This business can help you with any type of legal problem you might have, whether you live or work in Spain permanently, or commute between here and the U.K. They can explain any legal obligations you might have whilst being in Spain and will make the explanation as clear to you as possible. They can advise you about Tax issues, house sales and purchases, obtaining a Spanish will, vehicle transfer, making investments and starting a business, etc. The service has a fully qualified Spanish Solicitor, who speaks fluent English. However, in the first place, you should contact the English Legal Administrator Jackie on mobile 609 454 744. There will be a more in depth article about this new business next month.

Major Fire in Los Tablones. Spain and Portugal have had a number of major forest fires during the summer months, some of which were a complete accident and others that were started deliberately. In the village of Los Tablones, which is near Motril, a serious fire occurred on Friday 14th July. The cause of the fire is not known at the moment and further investigations are taking place. The fire was serious enough for some residents being prepared to try to protect their property with garden hoses, with others having their vehicles packed and ready to abandon their homes as the fire approached. Fortunately nobody had to abandon their home and the fire was eventually extinguished due to the combination of fire fighters on the ground and water dropped from the air. Four helicopters were used to fight the fire, picking up their water from the Rules Dam alongside the Granada road, as well as two Canadair fire-fighting aircraft being used, which are based at Málaga Airport and they scooped up their water directly from the Mediterranean. The danger of fire, with the death and destruction it can cause, is still with us due to the continuing dry weather. You should always exercise caution when disposing of cigarette ends, glass in all its forms and any flammable liquids, etc. Please be careful, fire kills!