ARCHIVED - Murcian and Spanish news round-up week ending 11th August 2017

The week of the "phantom storm" precedes the last extended weekend of the summer in the Costa Cálida

Image: The sun rising this morning over the Mar Menor courtesy of Los Alcázares tourism.

The main talking point in the Region of Murcia this week, not only among visitors but also among residents, has been the violent storm which signally failed to affect much of the coast despite warnings that Thursday could see spectacular cloudbursts and even localized flooding.  

The week began with tropical nights still making sleep difficult on Sunday and Monday as daytime temperatures rose to 41 degrees, although storms in Lorca and the north-west warned that a change was in the air, and the heat was accompanied by a heavy hailstorm in the rural area of La Paca while 14 mm of rain fell in Zarcilla de Ramos.

By Wednesday morning the breeze had stiffened, and State meteorological agency Aemet hurriedly updated its forecast and placed the entire Region of Murcia on alert from thunderstorms and potentially heavy rain. But the apocalyptic forecast turned out to be rather a non-event, as the worst of the rainfall and thunderstorms which were forecast missed the south of Murcia and the only downpour was in Jumilla, where 28 millimetres of precipitation were recorded in just 25 minutes and hailstones the size of golf balls (or tennis balls according to some) fell in the area of Fuente del Pino.

This happened just at the wrong time for some Jumilla wineries, who were planning to begin the grape picking season earlier than usual but suddenly found themselves with no grapes left to pick in some vineyards, while on the coast the wind whipped up the sea, which in turn stripped the sand off some of the beaches and caused various damage in La Manga and Cabo de Palos. Far worse, though, was the devastation on the island of Ibiza, which bore the brunt of the weather as thunderstorms and cloudbursts neatly side-stepped the Region of Murcia.

And then on Friday it was just about back to normal, with mostly clear skies and maximum temperatures back to more usual levels for mid-August, reaching 35 degrees in the regional capital of Murcia and 31 on the coast in Cartagena, just in time for the weekend which many Spaniards will make a 4-day affair: Tuesday 15th August is the feast day of the Assumption, and following the peak of the Perseid meteor shower (this year on Satuday night, when shooting stars will be visible at the rate of about one a minute) this is the last major holiday before the main summer season ends at the end of the month.

This means that Tuesday is a national holiday, or red day, so buy extra bread on Monday as the majority of shops will be closed on Tuesday. The larger shopping centres and those classed as being of touristic importance will be open, but most smaller businesses take the holiday. As a result, many Spaniards also take Monday as a holiday, making this one of the busiest weekends on the roads, so take care.

It also means those of us in coastal areas are suffering from band-width exhaustion, as so many people are using their mobile phones that internet access has slowed to a crawl as providers are totally swamped by the demand. 5am may be the only time it's possible to catch the next episode of Game of Thrones if you're on internet TV, and if anyone is experiencing a slow loading page at the moment, blame the masses from Madrid, who are the other reason no-one can park within 2 km of the supermarket.

Other environmental and agricultural news

Murcia farmers resent “excessive” Mar Menor protection measures

Spokesmen for the agriculture sector in the Region of Murcia, as well as the farmers they represent, currently find themselves in a very difficult position regarding the measures proposed by the regional government in order to protect the marine environment of the Mar Menor. They, like everyone else, are outwardly in favour of anything which can be done to improve and maintain optimum conditions in the saltwater lagoon, but at the same time they feel that they are being unfairly targeted as the sole cause of the phenomena which last year saw the water lose clarity in many parts of the Mar Menor.

Murcia government sprays 1,000 hectares to combat plague of locusts: the Mediterranean and Egyptian locust species are a threat in the north and north-west of Murcia, where spraying has been carried out in Aledo, Caravaca, Moratalla, Jumilla and Yecla.

And in the Mar Menor...

It is reported that the water quality is still good in the Mar Menor despite above-average sea temperatures: at 31 degrees the Mar Menor is at least two degrees warmer than is usual in early August.

But at the same time it has been announced this week that oceanographers are to study the chances of recovering lost marine vegetation in the Mar Menor: it is a sobering thought that over 80 per cent of the sea bed vegetation in the Mar Menor is believed to have been lost over the last two years, and the Spanish Oceanographic Institute is to collaborate with the naturalists of ANSE to establish whether or not it will be possible to recover the seaweed and other plants.

Tourism and airport news

Plenty of  relevant items around this week, as befits the time of year!

British visitors account for 42 per cent of tourist spending in Murcia this year: Brexit or no Brexit, visitors from the UK spent 175 million euros on their holidays in the Costa Cálida in the first half of 2017, boosting the overall figure to a record high of 417 million euros.

Murcia tourist information office closed in August! Those hoping to brave the heat and take advantage of the free Blue Zone parking in the city of Murcia this month should take care to inform themselves beforehand regarding exactly where they are going, what they are visiting and when their intended destinations are open, as the two main tourist information offices in the city are closed. In the meantime, opposition political parties in Murcia have been having something of a field day, and have even gone so far as to set up an alternative “portable” tourist office outside the closed door of the premises in Plaza Belluga, next to the Cathedral.

This is certainly in marked constrast to the situation in Alhama de Murcia, where the tourist office is taking information to the tourists in Condado de Alhama rather than waiting to see if they travel into the town to find it, and dealt with over 2,000 enquiries in July.

This figure is over 37% higher than the same month in 2016, a rise which is modestly attributed by the Town Hall to the fact that this year there appear to be more people renting for a short stay and fewer holidaying in their own properties. Quite possibly, though, it is also due to the fact that if correct, useful, interesting and reliable information is given in the appropriate language, people are more likely to use the source repeatedly rather than only on one occasion!

Nudist and disabled bathing beaches

As the summer heat and humidity continue to make hydration and cooling down an important part of daily life in Murcia, those who suffer from limited mobility, and indeed friends and family who look after them and help them, would do well to remember that despite the potential difficulties involved in enjoying a refreshing dip in the sea there are over 50 beaches in Murcia which are specially equipped to make this a less daunting task for the disabled.

On a different tack, the number of designated nudist beaches is far lower, and anyone who is chasing that elusive all-over tan would be well-advised to inform themselves which fall into that category and which are merely “informal” naturist areas: nudists claim 27 beaches as theirs, but Town Halls disagree!

Incidents on the beach in La Manga and Lo Pagán: another name was added to the list of deaths this year at the beaches of Spain on Wednesday when an 83-year-old died after being rescued from the Mar Menor off the beach of La Puntica in Lo Pagán, in the municipality of San Pedro del Pinatar.

The total of deaths by drowning or similar in the Region of Murcia up to the end of July was 13, while in Spain as a whole the figure had already risen to over 300, and unfortunately the figure is likely to climb still further as a result of cases such as the one which occurred in San Javier on Tuesday when a man blatantly ignored the red “no bathing” flag and the requests of lifeguards for him to leave the water.  The police were asked to intervene.

In Cartagena the authorities have clearly stated their intentions to fine disobedient bathers and this week the first fines of the season have already been imposed on bathers ignoring the red "no bathing " flags.

Perhaps the lifeguards in both municipalities should have tried a tactic which proved devastatingly efficient in clearing bathers from the water in Cádiz on Thursday: it seems that the word "shark" does the trick nicely!

Another topic which has also attracted attention this week is bin abuse. It seems that some visitors to the region do not understand that it is illegal to put rubbish in the bins before 9pm in many municipalities, and are at risk from large fines for their ignorance. Totana became the first council to reiterate this week that municipal by-laws still apply in spite of the holiday season and that they are certainly not relaxing their vigilance or misssing the opportunity to impose a few fines!

Apron markings repainted at Murcia San Javier airport: the repainting at San Javier shows that Aena has no intention of moving anywhere for the time being!

Mazarrón greenway officially declared open: the 14-kilometre Vía Verde de Mazarrón follows the track created for the railway to La Pinilla in the early 20th century, and joins the 53-kilometre Vía Verde del Campo de Cartagena, which crosses the countryside from the city of Cartagena to Totana.

Mar Menor long-distance swimming events for September and October presented: distances of between 500 and 6,000 metres in San Pedro del Pinatar, Los Alcázares and San Javier.

Other items in the Murcia news this week

2-year-old in hospital after near-drowning in Fuente Álamo: the toddler regained consciousness after over a minute under water.

Guardia officer injured by hit-and-run breathalyzer motorcyclist on the A-30: the hunt is on for the rider who failed to stop for a routine breath test on the motorway outside Murcia.

36 immigrants detained after reaching the beaches of Cartagena on Saturday: the steady flow of illegal immigrants from Africa making their way across the Mediterranean in tiny and perilous boats shows no signs of letting up, and although the most common destination is the region of Andalucía, this Saturday another 36 made it ashore in the municipality of Cartagena, including a pregnant woman and her three-year-old son.

Anti-burglary advice reiterated as thieves take advantage of holidays in Spanish cities: burglars in Murcia are always on the lookout for temporarily unoccupied properties, and marker tabs in doorways are being used to identify likely targets.

Fire breaks out at Los Alcázares swimming pool: none injured but three cars damaged as bathers get a shock at the municipal pool in Los Alcázares!

Wasp and bee stings increase in frequency in Murcia:  if you are being annoyed by more wasps than usual this summer it seems you are not alone!

Rumanian carob thief arrested in Miranda: Guardia Civil officers were surprised to find that inside the vehicle driven by the man detained was a woman breast-feeding her baby!

Increased speed checks on the roads of San Javier in August: the police seek to minimize the risk of accidents during the busy summer season.

300-euro fines for dog owners in Archena who fail to pick up the mess left by their pets: a public awareness campaign and increased police vigilance as the council strives to clean up the town.

Father and son rescued from Puerto de Mazarrón car crash: their car overturned on the road from Mazarrón to El Alamillo, a stretch which can cause difficulties due to the curves and adverse camber, particularly on the downhill carriageway.

Neanderthal jawbone found at Sima de las Palomas site in Torre Pacheco: the latest findings at the site on the mountain of Cabezo Gordo date the existence of Neanderthal Man in Torre Pacheco to 130,000 years ago.

Property news in Murcia and Spain

Positive sales figures for June: after a couple of months of unconvincing data the residential property market in the Region of Murcia registered its second consecutive set of encouraging sales figures in the month of June, when the 1,193 transactions reported represented an increase of 32.3 per cent in comparison with the same month last year.

In addition, the June figure is the fourth highest in the last six years, and comes on the back of another high total in May, perhaps indicating that the spurt in market activity which has affected some other parts of Spain is beginning to filter through to the Costa Cálida.

And yet, in the broader picture, the market in Murcia remains relatively flat: the year-on-year increase in activity in the first six months of 2017 is only 5.7%. In Spain as a whole the number of sales registered during June was 44,135, representing an increase of 19.3 per cent in comparison with the same month last year as well as the second highest figure in nine years, and the monthly totals were higher than in June 2016 in all 17 regions.

Tinsa report Spanish property price rises in all categories in July: not only is the recovery of the market consolidating, it is also gradually spreading to include more parts of the country rather than being restricted to major cities and Mediterranean coastal areas.

40,000-euro fines for tourist rentals in the Balearics: the regional government of the Balearic Islands has vowed to take a more active role in the fight to keep longer-term property rentals affordable for those who live there, making it less attractive for owners to cash in during the summer and more profitable for them to seek year-round rentals.

This ties in the concerns over mass tourism which have been making the national news headlines this week (see below).

Spanish news: Spanish PM slams "absurd" anti-tourism campaign and a buttock-baring Gijón lifeguard earns the thanks of his female companions!

During a week in which it was confirmed once again that Spain's tourist industry, which accounts for around 11 per cent of GDP, is heading for another record year (at least in terms of spending by visitors from abroad, fuelled as ever by the dominant British market), it is perhaps surprising to report that the national news has been dominated by "anti-tourism" campaigners.

The truth is, though, that there are storm clouds over mass tourism in Spain: much publicity has been given recently to the actions of the Arran group, who oppose mass tourism through means of petty vandalism, while perhaps more indicative of the general feeling that not all tourism is good tourism has been illustrated by the actions of local and regional governments in various parts of Spain. In the spotlight this week is the government of the Balearic Islands, where the economy is dependent more than practically anywhere else on tourism but a new law imposes very stiff fines on anyone renting out apartments to tourists without explicit authorisation.

The new legislation in the Balearics is at least underpinned by a logical argument, but it is hard to say the same of the actions of Arran both in the islands and in Catalunya, which were mirrored during the week by other groups in the Basque Country. Such vandalism has met with almost universal condemnation, with Mariano Rajoy (the president of the national government) slamming it as "absurd".

Tourism was also disrupted this week by continuing industrial action by security staff at the airport of Barcelona in El Prat, while more foreigners coming to Spain made the headlines in the north African enclave of Ceuta: almost 200 African migrants skirted the 6-metre-high barbed wire fence and simply ran into Spain on Monday, and in response the border was closed even to goods vehicles on Wednesday.

But August is, after all, the "silly season" for news, and if Mariano Rajoy sees the anti-tourism protests as absurd they almost seem sane in comparison to the situation at a Town Hall in Galicia where staff are to be offered bonuses if they can find the energy to actually turn up to work 90 per cent of the hours for which they are contracted: as yet suggestions for a similar policy at Murcia Today have fallen on unsympathetic ears...

Finally, amid all the lunacy, a word of praise for a lifeguard in Asturias who shared the annoyance of of some of his female colleagues at the apparently popular practice of taking photos of beach rescue workers clad in Pamela Anderson-style swimsuits and posting them on social network sites. To show his solidarity with his female companions the man hitched up his swimming shorts as high as possible and asked a colleague to take a snap of his bared buttocks as he looked out to sea, before posting the image on WhatsApp and the same sites which had caused offence.

It is pleasing to report that the image quickly went viral, and that praise has been heaped on the gesture by thousands, although some are less than amused by the gesture!

For more Spanish news stories this week scroll down below...

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