Filth and noise: Mallorcan venues shut in crackdown

Twenty-three bars and restaurants across Mallorca had to be closed in a crackdown on filthy and unsafe premises.

Offences ranged from hygiene horrors, including insect infestation, to a lack of door staff to ensure clients and customers remained safe.

The move follows an exhaustive series of inspections by the public health directorate.

Nearly 80 premises were given official notice of sanctions and ordered to carry out immediate improvements.

Those that could not satisfy the requirements of the Food and Nutrition Safety Service were ordered to close. 

Its officers inspected nearly 1,200 establishments throughout Mallorca between June 1 and the middle of October.

Inspectors have revealed nearly 64 per cent were pulled up for some form of non-compliance.

The list includes failings in the preservation of food, wrongful food handling or processing, issues over the physical state of the premises, inadequate staff qualifications, poor customer information and even the traceability of products.

Elsewhere, a campaign by Local Police in Palma during which venues with a live music licence were checked, found that nearly nine in 10 were breaking the rules.

The ‘Green Patrol’ investigated 71 venues, finding 20 had been abandoned or converted and, of the remaining 51, 44 were in breach of at least one rule. Just seven passed with flying colours.

The most frequent breach was of noise restrictions and failure to provide proper sound regulators which meant neighbours in the vicinity had to put up with excessive noise levels often into the small hours. 

Other regular offences included not having the proper insurance and having no door staff as a safety precaution. Most of the establishments have been fined, but six will face further legal action.