The Leader Newspaper has long campaigned about the unsightly mess and the light pollution presented by a multitude of illegal billboards along the N332 as the road passes through Orihuela Costa.
We have been in touch with a succession of councillors over the years, most of whom have shown a chronic incompetence and indifference in tackling the negative image that they present, in one of the most popular tourist areas in the province.
Now, at long last, the Orihuela Local Police has published a message on their social networks warning that it has noted “a fraudulent use of the billboards owned by the City Council on the Costa,” as they are being used on council land, without authorisation, but for which they are paying a regular fee to an advertising agency.
Alongside a number of images they warn, “if you are an advertised company, contact the police, and we will tell you what to do.”
In addition to the police warning, the council has issued a press release stating that actions against illegal billboards have intensified. The Department of Citizen Security, headed by Monica Pastor (PP), say they are taking measures to address the proliferation of unauthorised billboards in the municipality, especially on the coast, where they generate a negative visual impact that affects aesthetics and that also has an impact on other key aspects, such as the environment, especially in sensitive areas of the Coast, and road safety, since these hoardings can pose a danger to drivers and pedestrians.
See also: Disgrace of Unsightly advertising hoardings on N332
See also: Light pollution and illegal advertising boards in Orihuela Costa
In addition, their unauthorised installation encourages unfair competition, harming companies that are operating within the legal framework. These consequences underline the importance of the actions undertaken by the Council to regularise the situation.
Currently, “many of these billboards are being erected and sold to advertisers irregularly by private companies,” warns in the statement. For this reason, the Council has initiated the management of their withdrawal along with disciplinary procedures to those responsible.
The matter was referred to the Ombudsman, the Syndic de Greuges, and the Valencian Antifraud Agency, following a complaint in 2022, which then investigated the Orihuela Council for the allegedly illegal installation of advertising elements. The final resolution of the investigation required the Council to regulate this type of lucrative activity, and open sanctioning files to companies and advertisers who are breaching the urban regulations governing the main urbanizations bordering the N-332: La Zenia, Cabo Roig, La Regia and Playa Flamenca.
Along the N-332 alone, the Antifraud Agency found that there were more than 50 locations of advertising materiel displayed on fences and more than 90 different advertising elements on billboards, compared to just 27 files, of which only 17 had been granted permission.
On municipal land, the unauthorised display of signage contravenes article 29, section 1, of the Ordinance on Civic Coexistence, which punishes the unauthorised installation of posters and hoardings with fines of 400 euros. As of today, all unauthorised hoardings located on municipal property are being covered over.
In cases where these structures are located on privately owned land, urban disciplinary procedures have been initiated, including the imposition of fines and restoration of the original site.
The City Council is also making progress on the drafting of a tender for the future concession of the service for the operation of billboards, marquees, advertising screens, digital displays and signage throughout the municipality. This project aims not only to regularise the situation, but also to improve and maintain urban signage, in order to offer a more orderly and attractive environment for residents and visitors.
