ARCHIVED - 1,500-euro fines for unauthorized motor home parking in Águilas

Águilas Town Hall hopes to direct motor home tourists to areas set aside for them

There are differing approaches in the coastal municipalities of the Region of Murcia to the problems brought about by the popularity of the Costa Cálida among caravan and motor home tourists from the rest of Spain and northern Europe, and in Águilas the latest development is the adoption of a tougher stand against parking in unauthorized locations and the dumping of toilet waste and other rubbish.

In some areas there is considerable resentment among locals against those who set up their portable homes as close as possible to the shore of the Mar Menor or the Mediterranean during the winter, the perception being that the occupants of these vehicles contribute little to the local economy. They avoid paying for accommodation, of course, but at the same time they eschew the options provided by campsites and, in the eyes of some, spend as little as possible in bars, restaurants and shops.

This hostility is further fuelled by the practice of lifting manhole covers in order to dispose of toilet waste directly into the sewage system, a habit which is hardly designed to endear anyone to residents where it occurs.

In Águilas, responding to the discontent caused by motor homes, the Town Hall has decided that this winter any visitor who parks a caravan or motor home on public land within 5 kilometres of a beach or a campsite will be liable to a fine of up to 1,500 euros, a figure which could be doubled if waste is intentionally dumped in the area. Initial approval has been given to the proposal, which will be welcomed by residents who have been complaining about motor homes ever more loudly as the number of vehicles camped along the shore has steadily increased in recent years.

Other potential fines of up to 750 euros will be levied on those who park their vehicles in such a way as to obscure the view of a monument or the landscape, and visitors who either make too much noise or place tables, chairs and awnings outside their vehicles, effectively claiming public land as their own private garden.

There are beaches where motor homes are permitted for up to 48 hours in Águilas, and the aim of the proposed legislation is to placate angry residents and direct tourists to the areas provided for them. For stays of over 48 hours the intention is for tourists to avail themselves of the facilities offered by campsites.

All of which seems highly plausible, the only downside being that it may lead to even more unauthorized motor homes being parked along the coast in Pulpí, Lorca and Mazarrón!

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