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Date Published: 26/05/2022

ARCHIVED - Flip-flops a must: Beachgoers in Benidorm warned not to go barefoot due to poor state of decking

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Benidorm Town Hall has erected warning signs along Poniente beach alerting users of nails and splinters on the wooden decking

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Flip-flops a must: Beachgoers in Benidorm warned not to go barefoot due to poor state of decking

On the cusp of a huge influx of summer tourists to Benidorm's Poniente beach, the Town Hall has erected signs along the coastal stretch warning beachgoers not to go barefoot and to wear flip-flops because of the poor state of the wooden decking.

The signs are in Spanish and English and warn of the risk of splinters, uneven slats and the fact the decking is riddled with nails. As such, the local council states that footwear is compulsory to avoid injury.

Numerous repairs have been made to the decking recently, but have not really patched the decking up satisfactorily. And now the Town Hall is assuring this will be the last summer that beachgoers will have to endure "a footbridge in disrepair", and the entire platform will be replaced at a cost of almost 1.7 million euros ahead of the summer season 2023.

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The work is expected to take 10 months and will involve removing 5,400 m2 of decking and replacing it with another walkway "of technological wood, a stable pavement made up of high quality, high performance elements which, without being a fixed installation, allows it to be removed when cleaning work has to be carried out," according to Benidorm Council.

"The new decking will maintain a very similar aesthetic to the current one, although it will create a completely stable, sustainable walkway that is more resistant to the effects of the weather," explained municipal sources, adding that the company awarded the contract will be obliged to carry out any repairs, should they be required, at weekends, public holidays and at night if necessary.

The deterioration of the wooden decking that runs along the entire Poniente beach at the foot of the sand, parallel to the promenade, has been dragging on for more than a decade.

Barely a year after the construction of the Paseo de Poniente in 2009, municipal techinicians reported issues related "to the poor state of the infrastructure" due to the fact the company contracted by the Generalitat to build the promenade at a cost of 19.5 million euros reportedly installed a type of wood of much lower quality than was detailed in the plans.

Benidorm was dealt a blow earlier this month when Poniente beach failed to make the grade in the 2022 Blue Flag awards. The local council plans to appeal the decision.

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Image 1: Archive

Image 2: Ayuntamiento de Benidorm

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