Date Published: 23/08/2021
ARCHIVED - Cartagena residents increasingly irritated by litter left behind after botellon drinking sessions
ARCHIVED ARTICLE Residents and holidaymakers alike demand a greater police presence to control parties
This summer the topic of young people engaging in botellón open-air drinking sessions has been higher on the agenda than normal, due principally to the continued breaches of covid restrictions by large groups of young people determined to enjoy their summer socialising despite the limitations of the covid pandemic. As they are unable to gather in night-club venues and discos, the tendency has been to gather in illegally large groups on beaches and in the open-air to drink and party outside.
Unfortunately, the young people concerned have been less than assiduous in cleaning-up after their gatherings, frequently leaving their rubbish behind them, as well as upsetting local residents with noise and vehicles.
This weekend there has been an abundance of complaints from locals of the coastal areas of La Manga, La Azohía and Isla Plana following a series of weekend open-air parties which has left litter, glass and plastic bottles strewn around municipal areas and on beaches. The incident which generated the most complaints occurred on the esplanade behind the Salvator Mundo church, located at the entrance to
La Manga, in the El Ancora urbanisation. Following a night of partying on Saturday, residents awoke the following morning to discover a mass of rubbish left behind by the youngsters.
The situation has actually been exacerbated in some areas by the police vigilance in Cabo de Palos, normally the favoured spot for botellón parties in the summer, the additional police presence in this area driving youngsters into areas of La Manga.
Throughout the summer, residents have been demanding action from local authorities and have asked for a greater police presence, particularly at weekends, to crack down on the gatherings. In recent weeks, similar events have been reported in nearby
La Azohía and Isla Plana, located on the far south-westerly tip of the municipality of Cartagena and in other areas of the region; the image for example comes from Los Alcázares police ( as well as in other regions of Spain; at the weekend a gathering of 5,500 young people was broken up in Barcelona).
The president of the La Azohía neighbourhood association has complained that youngsters can be found in any part of the town drinking on the streets and causing damage to public property. Residents have even complained of traffic signs and municipal furniture being destroyed by the partying youths.
Closer to Isla Plana,
Playa de la Calera, is the worst affected area, with young people gathering on a regular basis and leaving plastic cups, bottles, bags and food waste behind.
Image: Archive, Policia Local Los Alcázares