ISSUE NO. 1548
EWN FRONT EXTRA
Under plastic ALMERIA has more than 29,600 hectares covered by plastic greenhouses, according to a study based on satellite photographs. The figure is 10.5 per cent more than 2010’s 26,167 hectares.
Bottle attack A 24-YEAR-OLD man remains in a serious condition in hospital after being assaulted with a broken bottle close to Viator.
Almond trail MARCH 8 is the date of Albox’s almond trail, a 12-kilometre walk through the Sierra de las Estancias. The walk begins in Plaza Mayor at 8.30am and costs €3 or €15 to include food.
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Call-out fee controversy By Elle Draper CALL out the fire brigade in Almeria and you could face a hefty bill. Emergency services in the region have reported that since 2012 citizens have had to pay almost €600 for firefighting services and rescue. Now the emergency workers are concerned that people are delaying calling them as they fear landing themselves with the cost of the call-out. To have firefighters attend your home can cost €577 per hour. Similarly, €412 can be charged for rescuing someone from their car in a traffic accident - a bitter pill to
swallow after such a traumatic experience. Alejandro Raymond from
the Fire Consortium of Poniente said: “We have serious concerns about the
risk situations that occur after the introduction of these fees for the provision of firefighting and emergency rescue.” According to the consortium, some cities like Granada have exemptions in the case of rescuing people or animals. But residents, worried about a large bill, are delaying their call to the emergency services. This delay increases risks and can cause conflict when the attending services are asked if they will be sending an invoice. The consortium agreed that activities like monitoring a fireworks’ party should command a fee,
Almeria’s overweight children A WHOPPING 44 per cent of children aged between 10 and 12 years in Almeria are overweight. A high intake of pastries, cakes and sweets in addition to lack of exercise and physical play have been considered factors for overweight children in
a recent study by paediatric doctors, Rafeal Galera and Irene Alias in Almeria. A total of 1,400 children across the province were analysed in health centres, explained the head of Clinical Management of Paediatrics in Torrecardenas.
Forty-four per cent of children aged between 10 and 12 are overweight, with 22 per cent of children between two and 16 being 22 per cent overweight. Eighty per cent of the 1,400 children had adequate consumption of fish but only half had an
adequate amount of vegetables, with the figure lowering in relation to the rising age of the child. In all age groups, overweight children had higher blood pressure than normal, even in children under the age of six years.
but an emergency situation like an accident or fire should be exempt so that the services avoid tragedy or compromise. The consortium also pointed out that many people were unaware of the charges when they made a call and were then horrified to receive a bill after the event.