Frontline baggers bagged in Calpe

BETWEEN July 1 and August 13, Calpe’s Policia Local issued 64 fines for reserving frontline beach spaces before 9.30 am. 
A Calpe bylaw bans all occupation, temporary or otherwise, of public rights-of-way and makes special mention of the custom of reserving spaces at the water’s edge early in the morning with deckchairs, sunbeds and umbrellas. 
“This tendency hinders beach-cleaning and the bylaw states that belongings installed on beaches before 9.30 am are liable to be removed and their owners fined,” a town hall statement announced recently. 
The statement went on to warn that beach umbrellas, sunbeds and other items belonging to owners who fail to turn up within three hours will also be removed. 
Every summer the town hall receives numerous complaints from beachgoers who arrive mid-morning to find that the best spots on the beach have been bagged by early risers who have yet to appear. 
“We want to guarantee that beach-cleaning employees can carry out their work,” explained the town hall’s Public Safety councillor Domingo Sanchez. 
“This summer, above all, we are making a special call for public-spiritedness on the part of beachgoers, asking them not to reserve spaces without occupying them.”