Costa Blanca
Lifeguard contract suspended in Guardamar

The town’s lifeguard service tender has been terminated by the Guardmar del Segura City Council. It took this action after identifying a number of mistakes in the specifications, such as the fact that the pricing offered did not account for the 2025 updated interprofessional minimum wage, which caused the contract budget to become out of balance. The Department of Contracting’s signed decree reflects this, stating that “a number of errors were noted in the specifications following questions posed by interested parties in the procedure through the Third Public Sector Contracting Platform.” The technical specifications document was draughted by a municipal technical engineer, who concluded in a report released on March 6, 2025, that “it is considered appropriate to review and modify, where appropriate, the content of the technical specifications document” in several areas.
The fact that “it becomes mandatory to update the remuneration of the workers who will provide the service due to the entry into force of the new minimum interprofessional wage for the year 2025” is one of the difficulties that has to be addressed. In a subsequent report, the City Council’s Deputy Secretary establishes the wisdom of “…retroacting the proceedings to the beginning of the file, specifically to the issuance of any document prior to the Specifications that contained information or data, or legislation that may be modified as a result of the information provided by the Technician.”
They will be released again in the upcoming days as a result of reversing the criteria and starting the bidding process.
Since the town’s bathing season lasts longer than just the summer, the service is set to start on June 15th and operate through October 15th. In order to help and facilitate bathing at Guardamar Beach for those with impairments and/or limited mobility, the contract includes an adapted bathing service.
These people are served on beaches by lifeguards who, accompanied by a family member, help anyone who asks for assistance taking a bath. Visitors with decreased mobility or those with physical or mental disabilities can take advantage of this service by using the City Council’s accessible bathing facility. All necessary chores are included in this aid so that consumers can take advantage of the facilities, including swimming in the sea. The service will be offered at La Roqueta Beach every day from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. from July 1st to August 31st.
The beaches at La Roqueta, dels Vivers, Moncayo, del Camp, and les Ortigues will all have first aid stations. The service has been divided into three time periods. From September 16, 2024, until September 30th, 2024, there will be a 15-day low season. Only the central first aid stations will be operational during the service’s 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. hours, which will be staffed by seven employees. The months of June and September will comprise the 31-day mid-season. The service will be available from September 1st, 2024, to September 15, 2024, and from June 15th, 2024, to June 30th, 2024. With 17 employees, the service will be available from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The July and August peak season, which runs from July 1st, 2024, to August 31st, 2024, will last 62 days. The hours of operation will be 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The number of employees will rise to forty-five at this time. Lastly, a last time frame known as the reactive health season will be defined. From October 1st to October 15th, 2024, it will run for 15 days. There will be three aquatic and health-related roles at Playa Centre to handle any accidents that may occur on the beach as part of this health care program. In the case of an emergency, this will be a reactionary service rather than a preventive one. As a result, they will be able to deploy in order to address any situations that may occur on the beaches. During this time, the City Council will have the authority to make decisions. The hours of operation will be 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
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Costa Blanca
Woman ran over at a bus stop in Alicante and then attacked with scissors and a knife

Accused of purposefully running over a 35-year-old woman at a bus stop in the rural district of El Rebolledo in Alicante and then attacking her with scissors and a knife, among other bladed weapons, a 37-year-old woman and her 16-year-old daughter were taken into custody by the National Police this week. Days after the two parties argued, the attack took place.
The event happened on Camino del Fardacho in El Rebolledo last Monday at approximately 11 a.m. Following their prompt response after being mobilised by the 091 dispatch team, officers from Grupo de Motos de Seguridad Ciudadana -los “Rayos” (the Citizen Security Motorcycle Group (the “Rayos”)) and the Alicante Central Police Station apprehended the two suspected offenders after the National Police received a report of a hit-and-run and assault with sharp objects at a bus stop.
The victim was hit by a car driven by a mother and her daughter as she was at a bus stop in El Rebolledo with her companion, according to police records. The accused motorist struck the victim in the leg after colliding into the bus stop and then turned around with the intention of striking her once more. After she finally pulled over, the mother and daughter used a knife and scissors to attack the wounded woman.
When receiving an 091 call, the National Police promptly responded and took the two attackers into custody when the victim’s boyfriend stepped in to stop additional beatings.
After arriving at the site, a Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance treated the injured individual and transported her to a hospital, where she received treatment for cuts and bruises to several body regions; stitches were not required.
After that, forensic and judicial police officers showed up at the scene. They discovered the knife and scissors used in the assault when they were inspecting the detainee’s vehicle.
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Costa Blanca
In Benidorm, a repeat abuser breaks into his ex-‘s home and assaults her

A man was given a total term of two years and three months in jail by the Alicante Provincial Court. The punishment was handed out to a habitual abuser who broke into his ex-partner’s Benidorm home and assaulted her. In order to avoid calling a jury to try a breaking-and-entering case, the defendant came to an agreement whereby he entered a guilty plea to the offences.
The man was incarcerated after receiving multiple convictions for abuse and restraining order violations.
On May 6th of last year, the woman was leaving the grocery while examining her cell phone in the first of the events for which he is currently facing charges. The defendant flung her phone to the ground as he came up behind her. According to the verdict, it is established that the defendant completely disregarded the restraining order that forbade him from approaching the victim.
On May 8th, two days later, the defendant jumped through the living room window to enter the victim’s house. “If you’re not for me, you’re for no one,” he said, grabbing the victim by the hair and dragging her into the living room. He then kicked and punched her, threatening her with a screwdriver and screaming that she had sent him to jail and that he was going to kill her first, then kill himself.
During a High Court hearing this week, the man entered a guilty plea.
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Costa Blanca
In Elche, complaints against banks and insurers have increased by 50%

In Elche, claims against financial institutions and insurers rise by 50% annually as a result of inadequate information provided at the time of contracting, subpar service, or simply the customer’s failure to carefully read the conditions and believing the coverage does not align with what they agreed to.
Out of almost twenty sectors examined by the Oficina Municipal de Información al Consumidor (OMIC), banks and insurance businesses were among the five most unsatisfied, with 135 and 147 complaints against them, respectively, during 2024. The office head, Torcuato Saavedra, explains some details that cause insurers to misunderstand, like the requirement that the customer cancel a service at least one month prior to the policy’s expiration date. “Unfortunately, consumers are not always well informed or we don’t read everything when signing a contract and we don’t realise it,” he says.
Battle of the numbers
They caution you that the insurer will eventually demand payment of that premium for failing to provide legal notice if you chose to return the receipt instead. Conflicts between the two parties frequently occur here, and many people end up having two insurance plans for a year “because things weren’t done properly,” the technician says. The “number wars” between insurers and the dearth of information some businesses provide to entice customers are additional causes of complaints.
There were 1,971 enquiries and 1,438 complaints filed with the OMIC last year; these numbers are declining, having decreased by almost 20% from 2023. According to Saavedra, this tendency may be explained by the fact that consumers are growing more conscious while making purchases and businesses are getting more professional.
The most criticised are telephone providers.
With a total of 265 complaints last year, telephone companies continue to dominate the complaint landscape, as they have for years. Failure to comply with sales conditions is one of the primary causes. “Because what people don’t know is that when you port your phone number, you’re transferring both your landline and mobile numbers, but internet and television services aren’t ported, and the user has to request cancellation; the company can’t.” Previously, complaints were primarily about mobile phone contracts, but now landlines have issues with related services like internet and television.
Because of this, the office advises users to always ask for a copy and to carefully study contracts, “even if they are very tedious,”
The profile of the plaintiff
When commercial visits to homes were permitted, the elderly were the most common application profile because they felt betrayed at home. The population seeking protection from the OMIC is typically between the ages of 36 and 64, and the range has expanded with the advent of new technologies.
Internet-based purchasing
In a single year, 206 more complaints are categorised as “other goods” by this municipal agency. The office claims that the majority of these complaints centre on disagreements about internet transactions, which are likewise becoming more frequent. In order to make sure that the company they are transacting with on a marketplace is the one displayed on the screen and that it is based in Spain or the European Union, they advise customers to review the legal notice or privacy policy before making a purchase.
Festivity
In honour of World Consumer Rights Day, the OMIC and the Department of Consumer Affairs held an information booth in Plaza de Baix this Friday to provide the residents of Elche with free consumer advocacy, training, and advice.
The area’s edil, Inma Mora, accepted the work I do to address the needs and concerns of both consumers and establishments. Taking into consideration that this space, which has six professionals after being reinforced recently with two more technicians, provides consumers with pautas referring to the regulations in effect at the time of purchase or that must be followed by those products to ensure that the consumer has no issues.
Advice Saavedra explained that the focus of this year’s attention has been on helping merchants and distributing hojas of preceptive reclamations that must have all the establishments at the customers’ disposal.
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