SATISFACTION GUARANTEED

her children. With that, this appalling situation which could have so quickly taken on a nightmare for the children, was resolved and they were able to return safe and sound.

The BBF can only help her and other urgent cases with the generosity of others. If you would like to support our mission with a donation to help those who have nowhere else to turn ­ please visit www.britishbenevolent fund.org. Olaf Clayton, Chair British Benevolent Fund

WHY do we feel so much nostalgia for the 80s? It was such a stress-free decade with bold fashion statements and new hair trends. Remember mixing music on cassette tapes, recording your message on home answering machines, and not to forget how neon colours rocked with scrunched-up legwarmers over spandex tights. So satisfying.

Well nine out of 10 Línea Directa customers get the same satisfaction and recommend the best priced car, bike and home insurance to friends and family.

EXPAT2EXPAT REWARDS

When an existing Línea Directa customer recommends a new customer, they both receive €30. Línea Directa’s Expat2Expat programme is free and open to all existing customers. You can recommend up to 10 people and earn up to €300 in cash per year. Simply ask your friend to call 952 147 834 and quote your full name. Then once their application for car, bike or home insurance has been approved, Línea Directa will pay the reward straight into the bank account following payment of next or first premium. For more information, see terms and conditions at lineadirecta.com.

CHECK-OUT OUR POLICIES

All customer service and documentation is in English, their claims service is fast and efficient, you can get quick no obligation quotes over the phone, and their easy payment options help spread the cost of premiums.

Dedicated To Expats

Línea Directa has been providing comprehensive car, motorbike and home insurance to British expatriates and residents in Spain for over 25 years. With over three million customers nationwide, Línea Directa makes sure you get the best possible price for the kind of insurance you really need.

Absolutely Everything Is In English

Their Roadside Assistance team speaks English and will quickly help you with your onward journey. If you urgently need a duplicate set of keys for your motorcycle, then their English-speaking customer service will sort it out. And should you require Home Assistance to set up your new Wi-Fi connection, then English speaking technical staff will set up a visit.

DID YOU KNOW?

All Línea Directa insurance policies offer some exciting features specifically designed for British expatriates living in Spain. Their home insurance includes Pet Assistance, IT Assistance, and Home Maintenance. All motorbike policies come with Replacement Motorbike, Technical Equipment cover and even Young Person’s Night-time Assistance. And their car insurance includes helpful services such as Legal Assistance that can provide help when applying or renewing your driving licence in Spain.

Call their English-speaking customer service staff on 952 147 834 or get a competitive quote now at lineadirecta.com

Hi Euro Weekly LETTERS

I thought your viewers would like to hear my experience with Spain’s bus services. My wife who had a stroke in July and now uses a wheelchair wanted to go to Fuengirola for the day on the bus. Local people said the bus was very good for disabled people, so we set off. The bus pulled up, driver said no and left without us. So I pushed the wheelchair into La Cala. The next bus driver also said no. I asked if I could use the ramp. He said not possible, so two unknown men offered to lift the wheelchair onto the bus. The driver said ok however the same thing happened on the way home. A man came over to me and lifted my wife onto the bus. What I can’t understand stand is why a bus has a disabled logo on the side then you are told you can’t use a wheelchair. Anybody had the same experience as us? My wife and I are both 76 years old.

Regards Jeff & Maureen Milner, Alcantara

Hi Leapy

Unfortunately I am back in the UK for a while due to this ridiculous 90­day rule because my lovely lady has Parkinson’s and thought she would be treated better in the UK. She wouldn’t sign up to being a Spanish resident although we had lived in Spain for circa 13 years and paid all our non­resident taxes and everything we were asked to pay, but I love her so much I agreed. Possibly a mistake, but as they say love is blind. Now I have a gallbladder full of stones, an enlarged prostate which keeps me going to the toilet all night and a hernia that has reappeared after 30 years like a duck’s egg sticking out of my groin. Of course when I went to my doctor’s surgery after paying my National Insurance non­stop since I started work at the age of 15 and on April 6 I will be 75, there wasn’t a chance in hell of it being repaired, so on the 19th I go in to a private hospital here to get it sorted and will leave hopefully ok, but £3,500 lighter. We have also spent a bloody fortune on private health care in Spain so we wouldn’t be a burden on the system but of course it is a repair so not covered. Had it been a new hernia I would have been straight in to San Carlos and it would have been sorted now. I am sure I have bored you beyond belief but actually the whole purpose of this email was for me to see if you could find out who signed off the paperwork to enable that vile scum Glitter to go straight in front of people who have been waiting for months if not years and have a private room and have a very expensive op (at taxpayer’s expense) to have his knees operated on. I myself feel he should have been so far down the waiting list that he would have been long dead before he was called up and hoped he had suffered more pain than those poor children that he abused, it just beggars belief Leapy. Now I know as you say you get so many people contacting you that you can’t reply and I fully understand that but it would be nice to read in the EWN that at least you have voiced your opinion on this. Keep up the good work and although we are back in the UK for a little while we always check your opinions on line and 99 per cent of the time agree with you entirely.

Joe

Dear Sirs

I have just read with great interest your article on applying for a blue badge. I started the process for applying for a blue badge for my husband in February 2020 and he finally received it in December 2022, which is two months short of three years and nothing actually went wrong. Your article seems to imply that your doctor can declare you as having at least a 33 per cent disability. This is not the case. You have to have an interview at the Centro de Valoracion y Orientacion in Malaga. You have to apply for this interview submitting all of your relevant medical history. After submitting the application we waited for this appointment for over two years.

Then several months after the interview for them to award their decision, then we were able to start the process for applying for the blue badge. Never in all of this procedure were we asked to provide passport photos. I have actually heard that the process is now taking even longer. I cannot help noticing recently that there are many unoccupied disabled parking spaces. I presume this is down to the virtually impossible task of actually obtaining a blue badge.

Kind regards

Valerie Neal, Mijas Costa

Just a thought

Lanzarote’s president has a point. Spain’s tourist image is damaged by an irresponsible minority.

For many decades, excessive drunkenness by certain British tourists has been a problem in Spain. The consequences can range from loud, juvenile groups at the next table in a restaurant to fights, vomiting and vandalism in public areas.

This behaviour can ruin a night out or even a holiday for more mature holidaymakers and is an unacceptable inconvenience for local residents.

Other nationalities don’t necessarily drink less than these Brits; the point is that they generally handle it better ­ possibly because they are in better mental and physical health.

David R Worboys