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Date Published: 12/01/2022

ARCHIVED - Caravan owners accused of parking illegally on Mazarron and Aguilas beaches

Scenes of motorhomes parked on protected natural beaches in the Region of Murcia have prompted changes to the law, but some areas still suffer

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Caravan owners accused of parking illegally on Mazarron and Aguilas beaches

Hundreds of people flocked to Murcia over the Christmas holidays in caravans and campervans to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather, but it had local residents in Mazarrón and Águilas bemoaning the lack of respect that some campers show for the area by parking where they shouldn’t.

After reports of fleets of caravans camping on the Playa de Percheles beach in Mazarrón, the Plataforma Percheles Libre group pressured the town council to take action against the illegal parking that takes place every weekend, especially during holiday periods.

The plot of land in question, which is “on a private estate adjacent to the maritime-terrestrial public domain”, according to the Percheles group, belongs to an unscrupulous owner who over the years has apparently had several disagreements with the people who go to Percheles to spend the summer by asking them for money to access the land.

“He charges irregularly for this wild camping activity, [inviting] hundreds of motorhomes and vans… that contribute significantly to the degradation of the environment, the destruction of native flora and fauna and the pollution of the environment, since this camping area does not have adequate services for this practice”, the group alleges.

Partly in response to such ongoing complaints, Mazarrón Town Council has introduced a new law to further regulate parking for caravans in the municipality, meaning they won’t be able to park on beaches and parks like this, nor even within 5 kilometres of a campsite. The purpose of such measures is to try to ensure people parking caravans in the area pay to do so in camping grounds instead of parking illegally and potentially causing a nuisance.

Caravan parking issues elsewhere in the Region

In Águilas, meanwhile, on the beaches of La Higuerica, La Carolina and Los Cocedores dozens of motorhomes were found to be parked up for days, occupying practically the entire parking area of this natural space which is classified as a Site of Community Importance.

Motorhomes even blocked several paths, making it impossible for people to get through, and some campers were drying their clothes by hanging them over the protected trees and bushes or leaving them on the road signs and informative signs.

Camping tourism and motorhomes are extremely welcome in Murcia, so much so that there will be a camping event at the IFEMA exhibition centre in Torre Pacheco later this month, but there are dedicated campsites for these vehicles to park in, and locals are asking those who come to the Region to enjoy its ample tourist activities respect the parking laws for caravans.

Image: Cabo Cope no se vende

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