State of beaches in Gandia

RESIDENTS of Gandia, Alicante, are complaining of the appalling state that the beaches have been left in at the Mediterranean resort town after the super moon episode, a phenomenon which has had adverse affects on the otherwise insignificant Mediterranean tide, caused an inflow of water and damaged areas of the otherwise pristine beachfront.

The beaches are now scattered with garbage bins and strewn with rubbish; boardwalks have been ripped up and left in a state of disrepair. “We have tried to contact the town hall to report the problem but there is no one there to answer the phone, maybe because it is a fiesta,” says one local resident, who says that the beaches have been left in this state for almost two days now.

The Tio de la Porra Fira Gandia 2015 is currently being celebrated in the town; the event started on September 25 and continues until October 4, and residents believe that the image being given to tourists visiting the town to enjoy the fiestas is a very poor one. “We rely heavily on tourism here, even more so out of the summer season, so for the beaches to be in this state is very bad news for the towns image,” says Cameron, adding that “the children are also on holidays right now and families are avoiding the beach because of the state of them, even though we have good weather.”

Some residents have continued to try to reach the town hall without success and hope that they will not have to wait until the end of the fiestas before something is done. “What is more, the garbage that is lying on the beach is getting washed out to sea, so this is an environmental issue too.”