Cut-price lopping and pruning for 6,500 date palms in Elche (Alicante)

ELCHE stands to save 44 per cent on a five-year contract to prune the city’s 6,500 palm trees.

City hall has decided to outsource the trees’ upkeep owing to a shortage of skilled municipal workers, explained Parks and Gardens councillor Hector Diez.

Having put the contract out to tender for an annual €165,000, city hall is on the point of accepting a €93,600 bid from a local firm.  This would bring a total saving of €358,000 over five years, Diez revealed.

The palms will be lopped each year between June and October, not only for the health of the trees  but also to prevent fallen dates from littering and staining streets and pavements.

As the new contact does not come into force until November, city hall will have to use its own workforce to clear away the ripe fruit, Diez admitted.

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