€500 fine for drinking water on the beach

BY LAWS to halt infamous ‘botellon’ street drinking parties have claimed five victims who were forced to pay fines of €500 after being caught drinking water.

The youngsters, three boys and two girls, were in Mojacar celebrating the golden wedding anniversary of their grandparents with their family. Shortly before three o’clock in the early hours of  Sunday morning the group decided to go out for a drink in the Mojacar nightclub Maui, next to the beach.

As one of the group, Jose Antonio who was out with his girlfriend, a brother and two cousins relates: “We left the car in the outdoor parking and as there was a queue we decided to wait for a bit and opened the boot to get out a large bottle of water to refresh us. We were talking when two local police officers showed up and fined us because they said we were having a ‘botellon’(drinks party).”

The two agents of the Local Police fined each member of the group €100 for violating the controversial ‘antibotellon’ ordinance approved by Mojacar town hall last year. The ordinance states that a concentration of people who are consuming drink or doing other activities that endanger peaceful coexistence among citizens in outside areas can be fined. What the legislation does not say is what kind of beverages are forbidden to be consumed, so the police can equally fine people for a gin and tonic as for a soda or a bottle of water.“And that’s what happened to us,” claimed Jose Antonio.

A few metres from the parking lot of the nightclub was a Guardia Civil control point where Jose Antonio, the driver, voluntarily requested a breathalyser test. “I asked them to do me the favour of testing me. Of course, the test came out as 0.0, as I had not drunk any alcohol. At least I can prove I did not drink alcohol.”

Back home in Murcia, they phoned Mojacar town hall to explain what had happened,but they were warned that the word of the Local Police was more important. “We have put the case in the hands of a solicitor who tells us the fines have no foundation.”said Jose.