Costa Blanca South: News in Brief

Flamingos return

For the fifth year in a row, flamingos have returned to the Lagunas de La Mata y Torrevieja Natural Park to start their breeding season.

Over the past four years, they successfully nested on the central island of Laguna Rosa, attracted by its remote location and peaceful environment, away from human disturbances.

This annual spectacle has sparked curiosity once again, with many images of these temporary residents circulating on social media platforms.

Book Fair

Calling all bookworms! The Elche Book Fair will be held at the Eucharistic Congress Plaza from Friday, April 19, to Sunday, April 21. Councillor Caridad Martínez confirmed there will be 16 tents, 15 for bookshops, and a central tent for activities, presentations, and other events.

Planning Protests

A group of residents in Guardamar del Segura has launched a petition to bring back the transport service to Torrevieja Hospital. The Council halted the service on April 1. With the help of the Red Cross, residents are considering organising protests to push for its restoration.

Record Breaking

Alicante’s record-breaking Santa Faz Pilgrimage bus shuttle witnessed 18,398 users last week. In 2017, there were 12,689 travellers, followed by 14,530 in 2018 and 2019. After Covid, in 2022, 7,588 people used the service amidst rainy weather. This number rose substantially in 2023, reaching 16,308 users.

Road to recovery

A 63-year-old woman and a 42-year-old man had to be rescued on April 13 in a medical helicopter after being involved in two separate traffic accidents. One accident occurred in Orihuela and the other in Hondón de los Frailes. Both the injured are now recovering in hospital.

Natural Site

Elda urges the Generalitat to accelerate the declaration of El Pantano as a Municipal Natural Site and to extend its temporary protection. Councillor Cristina Martínez stated, “Three months have passed since the meeting on January 16, 2024, in which the steps to protect this natural space were addressed.”

Taking Steps

Torrevieja is taking steps to exert control over the planning of the only two remaining undeveloped coastal spaces within its jurisdiction. To achieve this, they are revisiting the 1986 General Urban Planning Act, the oldest unreviewed act in Spain for a city with over 50,000 inhabitants.

More Stops

Orihuela has initiated a contract to enhance its bus service by introducing six new stops.

Víctor Sigüenza, the Councillor for Transport, emphasised the importance of providing a more efficient service, particularly by increasing the frequency of four lines with a total of 11,211 annual trips: line 15 Orihuela-Desamparados (University), line 30 La Zenia-Aguamarina Health Centre, line 38 La Zenia-Hospital de Torrevieja, and line 49 Orihuela Costa-Orihuela passing through Entrenaranjos and/or Torremendo.

ID Renewals

The National Police will assist Aspe residents with an ID card or residency permit issues.

The police plan to be in town on May 7, and on May 9, residents can collect their new ID cards or residency permits.

As of April 22, you can book an appointment through the Town Hall Information Point.

There are only 120 slots, so book early to grab your slot.

The Police confirm that they will only see people with pre-booked appointments and remind residents that they must attend on both May 7 to share information and on May 9 to collect their new ID cards.

Documents will only be given to the applicant with a valid ID.

Mobile Eco Park

In Aspe, you can find the Mobile Eco Park, EcoMóvil, every Tuesday on Avenida Padre Ismael.

This service offers a convenient way to dispose of various types of waste, including metals and used vegetable oils.

Additionally, special waste items like fluorescent lights, batteries, paints, and tyres are accepted.

The EcoMóvil operates from 9:00.AM until 2:00.PM.

It’s a great opportunity to properly discard items that can be harmful to the environment if not disposed of correctly.

Why the Smoke?

Residents in southern Alicante were worried when they saw smoke rising from the industrial area of the Alicante port around 7:00.PM on April 11.

They also noticed a strong smell of asphalt, raising fears of a fire.

However, it turned out to be a cloud of water vapour.

The problem started in one of the industrial buildings nearby, where a filter broke down during an operation to unload bitumen.

This caused a gas cloud with a distinct asphalt-like smell to form.

But officials from the Port Authority assured residents that the cloud wasn’t harmful.

It was just water vapour.

The company responsible for the building is fixing the filter, and the ship involved in the operation has been moved to another port nearby.