Salobreña has taken a leaf out of Alumuñécar’s book by prohibiting the staking out of spots on the beach with beach equipment and then leaving them unattended.

Readers will remember when ex-Mayor Juan Carlos Benavides imposed such a restriction on La Herradura’s main beach, resulting in a rebellion amongst beach users.

Yet the result was that the practice of paying the block janitor, or persuading the abuelo of the household, to stake out a choice spot on the beach at seven in the morning so that the family could get up late, breakfast leisurely, and stroll down to their reserved spot around eleven or twelve disappeared. After the rumpus had quietened down, the result was a more fair distribution of public beach.

Now the Mayor of Salobreña has imposed the same bylaw and town-hall workers go around in the morning, confiscating any unclaimed beach umbrellas and towels and imposing fines

Up until now, the Town Hall has been permissive with this practice, dogs on the beach, and angling from the shore, preferring to carry out awareness campaigns, but now the gloves have come off and fines have taken the place of finger wagging admonishment.

The confiscated beach equipment is stored in the town-hall building and those that wish to claim their property have to make a written request and hand over a fee of 30 euros.

Tents and wind shields with no transparent sides are forbidden and anybody that wants to make a BBQ has to request permission three days beforehand at the Oficina de Atención al Ciudadano (OAC), which is situated in the foyer of the town-hall building.

(News: Salobreña, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)