ISSUE NO. 1656
30 March - 5 April 2017
COSTA DE ALMERÍA
Stop Press
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
DON’T MISS OUR PROPERTY SUPPLEMENT INSIDE! PAGES 39 - 44
WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
Need for weed A 36-YEAR-OLD man from Cuevas de Almanzora has been arrested for attempting to flee a police control with 10.7 kilos of marihuana buds in his car. Once he spotted the police in front of him, the man apparently attempted to reverse back along the motorway as traffic flew past him, but he was soon stopped and his vehicle checked over. See page 2
Gravel is the pits Balls up Beaches at risk due to use of cheap material
By Matthew Elliott Titanic efforts to regenerate key beaches ahead of a packed Easter week are instead causing serious damage, experts claim. Ecologists in Action issued a stark warning that beaches from Carboneras to Mojacar are being ruined to satisfy tourists. Instead of quality sand that adapts well to the gorgeous coastline from Cabo de Gata to Pulpi, diggers are bringing in dodgy material from local quarries. Ecologists in Action say Mojacar residents have witnessed 15 tons of spillage between Cuevas and Carboneras. The bulk of it was cheap gravel and clay. The environment ministry rejects the charges and claims the quality of imported material has been approved by the Mojacar Council. Recently the government set itself the Herculean task of replenishing Almeria’s most treasured beaches with thousands of tons of sand as the spring season gets underway. But its desperation to get the work done by the Easter holidays may have devastating consequences. The heavily protected marine ecosystems that make up the coastline of the Almerian
A MOTHER was left shocked and hurt on Father ’s Day when she was banned from a family photo with her son’s football team for being a woman.
When the team’s coach asked the Federation whether Jennifer could join in for the photo, he was told it was a men-only affair. See page 6
Family favours A NEW scandal has rocked Almeria Council. Three city politicians are accused of manipulating the tender to ensure that a lucrative construction contract went to family members. Detectives went so far as to wiretap the premises of Meson Gitano, a famous Gypsy-themed theatre cum restaurant built using €5.4 million of European funds. See page 12
Case resumes MARINE ECOSYSTEMS: Are in dire need of quality new sand. Levante are in dire need of new sand. But an avalanche of clay and gravel risks damaging the seabed, killing marine life and recklessly diluting what little sand is left. Even the colour of sea might change over time as the Costa’s cherished biodiversity becomes a gravelly
graveyard. By seeking profit from tourism in the shortterm, the government is counterproductively set to destroy Almeria’s greatest natural attraction, the group warns. Ecologists in Action claim they now have no choice but to launch an official com-
plaint to the European Commission, urging that Spain be stopped from wrecking the region’s natural heritage. They also warn that residents of Almeria must get used to the idea that, without dramatic action, the iconic coastline will vanish in the not-too-distant future.
ONE of the biggest corruption cases to ever engulf the Almanzora Valley is back in the courtrooms. The ‘Costurero’ case centres on whether the former mayor of Zurgena, Candido Trabalon, and other officials, padded out their bank accounts with a small fortune by issuing illegal planning licences. See page 58