These Spanish beaches fine you if you save a place with the umbrella in the sand
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Every summer the scene is repeated on numerous Spanish beaches. There are those who get up even before the sun rises to take a place on the sandbanks. The so-called 'war of the umbrellas' leaves many people unable to find a place on the shore because when they arrive they find numerous towels and umbrellas, but there is no trace of their owners. It is something more and more common, especially on the Mediterranean coast and on the Andalusian coasts, and that annoys many vacationers.
For this reason, several municipalities in Malaga have decided to fine anyone who carries out this practice starting this summer.. This is the case of Torrox and Vélez-Málaga, where fines can even reach 300 euros. The thing does not stop there, each neighbor whose sun loungers or umbrellas are seized by the police on these coasts will have to pay 50 euros to recover them.
This is where the controversy arises: can I be fined for reserving a place on the beach? Although the use of Spanish beaches is regulated by Coastal Law 22/88, each municipality can regulate and establish its own rules on this public space. Therefore, whether or not we can reserve a space in the arena will depend on the regulations that apply in the town where we are..
In which localities is it prohibited?
Malaga is not the only place where these sanctions are applied. In Valencia, this practice is also prohibited on the beaches of the capital, as well as in the municipalities of Gandía, Benidorm or Cullera, where fines can range from 750 euros to 3,000.
In Alicante, the city councils have also put a stop to reserving space on the beaches and then disappearing in the towns of Calpe, Altea, Torrevieja and Denia. In Castellón it is prohibited in the municipalities of Oropesa del Mar and Peñíscola. Likewise, in the region of Murcia it is forbidden to do so on the beaches of San Javier. In Cádiz it is forbidden to do it on the coasts of Tarifa, in Granada it is also regulated by the Almuñecar, Torrenueva Costa, and Motril Town Halls.