Over Fifty residents, gathered in front of the Orihuela Costa Town Hall building in Playa Flamenca on Tuesday morning, where, despite the pouring rain they massed together in order to maintain the pressure on the mayor and his councillors for the reintroduction of the service, pending the allocation of the new contract.
Mobilised by the platform “SOS Orihuela Costa”, a group largely comprised of former employees of the suspended concessionaire, Chiringuitos del Sol, the demonstrators denounced “the desertion of the beaches due to the lack of services”.
The protestors were joined by members of the public as well as officials of the local CLARO group.
Leader Román Jiménez, said that the mismanagement of the Beach Bar Contract is just another glaring example of the inability of the Orihuela Government to effectively preside over the Orihuela Costa from a distance of 40 kms, especially when so few have any real knowledge of the area, and when their priorities quite clearly lie with the city.
He said that the mayor has been in hiding ever since the controversy surrounding the suspension of the beach bar contract was first made public and it was an absolute disgrace that both Cllr Luisa Boné and Francisco Sáez had denied responsibility for such a huge error of judgement. “Quite clearly one, or possibly both of them are to blame.”
Jiménez went on to warn of the danger of the failure to renew the 11 blue flags on the beaches of the municipality following the closure of the beach bars, and the subsequent loss of sunbeds, umbrellas, toilets, water sports and leisure activities, and the catastrophic consequences that it could have on tourism in the area during coming years.
