Government promises to repair beaches on the Costa del Sol by Easter

BEACHES from Marbella to Malaga will be in perfect condition by Easter. That is the big promise from government delegate Miguel Briones who has been at loggerheads with Costa del Sol mayors over funding to repair beaches ruined by December’s storms.

Easter falls on April 16 this year but the bulk of the necessary work won’t get started until March 15, for fear that another storm might wash any progress away. That gives councils across the Costa just one month to prepare their beaches for the tourist season.

Briones was responding to fears raised by Marbella mayor Jose Bernal who has been demanding more money to combat the destruction wrought by the festive floods. But as far as Briones is concerned Marbella has enough, €1.3 million, emergency funding to get the job done, and on time.

A total of €16 million was granted by the national government to the entire Spanish coastline after the destructive storms. More than €4 million went to the Costa del Sol, which will struggle to get any more. Of the €24.4 million paid out by state insurance across all of Spain, Marbella alone has secured €8.3 million.

All of which means that if beaches from Manilva to Marbella, Mijas and Benalmadena aren’t ready on schedule there is likely to be a serious political cat fight. The mayors especially will be praying that another storm doesn’t cause even more chaos.