In an attempt to curb the habit, local police have issued an ordinance for visitors and residents who purposefully leave their belongings on the beach.
They will remove belongings, including towels, parasols on the sand before 9.30am. Owners could face paying a penalty charge of £210 ($455) at the municipal depot to retrieve their belongings.
The Calpe Town Council said in an online statement, “This measure prohibits the indiscriminate occupation of the public domain, especially the beach, with items such as chairs, hammocks and parasols at the start of the day. These bad habits make it difficult to clean the beaches.”
Similarly, those who hog the best spots on the sand all day will face the same consequences.
Beachgoers often leave their belongings unattended at the beach, so they have a guaranteed spot “reserved” for them after returning from a long lunch, excursion, or siesta. This results in crowded spaces and litter, and further ignites the sunbed wars between visitors.
To help with this, the council announced police will also remove any unattended belongings left for more than three hours.
“The ordinance also states that umbrellas, chairs or deckchairs left for more than three hours without the presence of their owners throughout the day may be removed. If there is evidence of these elements being installed without the presence of a responsible person or owner, the town council, through the local police and its cleaning staff, may remove these elements from the beach and transfer them to the municipal depot,” the notice states in Calpe’s official website.
The “sunbed wars” have been recurring for years, with the town council receiving numerous complaints regarding the issue every summer.
With the threat of a fine now in place, the local council hopes to reduce these cases and create a fair environment for all.
