Party boat clampdown

THE Mallorca Island Council has announced a clampdown on party boats following a series of complaints by residents over the last few weeks.

Guardia Civil maritime patrols are on call at all times to act when requested by local councils in coastal towns, with severe penalties announced for those who break the law.

More specifically, the authorities are targeting the so-called non-stop parties and ‘sea discos’, which have become more frequent than usual in the run-up to the summer.

Residents in the Colonia de Sant Jordi (Ses Salines) recently reported a large gathering of up to 20 boats off the coast with loud music all night long, which as well as the disturbance due to the noise, constitutes unfair competition for nocturnal leisure establishments who abide by the rules, generate employment and pay their taxes.

Other affected areas have included Campos, Llucmajor, Santa Margarita and Son Servera.

Regional leisure and entertainment union Abone have called on the Mallorca Island Council to take a wider view “as the problems caused by the ‘tourism of excess’ are not just concentrated in Platja de Palma and Magaluf”.