The Torrevieja City Council is installing two additional cameras to accommodate fixed radar devices for vehicle speed control in the city centre.

They are situated on Avenida Alfredo Nobel, opposite the Mar Bella senior residence, on the road that connects the Los Locos seashore with the Torre del Moro area, north of the town centre, which has been finished.

It has also been installed on Avenida de Baleares, near the green zone owned by Minister José Ramón Garcia Antón, and near the intersections with Calle Córcega and Tenerife. These streets are connected to the educational centres: IES Mediterráneo, La Purísima, and Colegio Público Virgen del Carmen.

In addition to another mobile radar device, the City Council will now have five booths for two fixed radar devices, following the acquisition of two booths and a radar. The acquisition, which cost nearly €58,000 (VAT included), was awarded to SICE, the same company that performs street lighting maintenance.

The two fixed devices that are adaptable to the kiosks are relocated on an ad hoc basis or throughout the year, contingent upon the Local Police’s requirements. As a result, drivers are unable to determine if they are actively participating. The new booths and radar necessitate a period of testing, calibration, and authorisation; consequently, they will not be implemented immediately. Activation may necessitate several months.

Safety on the road

Before this installation, the Traffic Department had already implemented signage enhancements on this section of Alfredo Nobel Road to mitigate speed. Educational radars were employed to alert drivers, who in this instance tended to accelerate in the direction of Torre del Moro-Playa de Los Locos, in the region commonly referred to as Las Calas.

The same action was taken at the other kiosk locations, including Avenida de Desiderio Rodríguez in San Roque, Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas, and Avenida d’Gregorio Marañón at Acequión beach, more than a year ago. The radar has enabled the reduction of speeds in urban areas to below 40 kilometres per hour in areas where accidents, particularly those involving pedestrians, have resulted in severe injuries and fatalities.

Penalties

The imposition of hundreds of sanctions of no less than €200 has more than offset the investment of over €60,000 for the first three-cabin radar implemented since mid-2023 and continuing throughout 2024. The most frequently imposed fines are €300, €400, and €500. Concurrently, municipal technical services field numerous appeals each month.

The technicians responsible for the contract have stated that the new acquisition will enhance road safety in the city, which “will undoubtedly result in a decrease in accidents in Torrevieja.”

A 64-year-old man has been arrested by the National Police in Alicante for his purported involvement in a fire that broke out on the fifth floor of a building situated in the northern region of the city. The individual arrested was residing at the residence illegally, without paying rent, and had a prior record of other offences.

Despite the prompt evacuation of the building, two individuals required treatment for smoke inhalation. According to a statement from the Superior Police Headquarters, both individuals were discharged from the hospital on the same day. The statement also acknowledged that the material damage was “substantial,” although it has not yet been evaluated.

The National Police Provincial Citizen Security Brigade’s on-duty alerts detected a fire on the fifth floor of a building in the northern part of Alicante at approximately 3:30 p.m. on April 29th. A security cordon was promptly erected around the building’s perimeter, allowing firefighters, the Alicante Local Police, and medical assistance to remain inside.

The Emergency Services and Local Police evacuated the entire afflicted building during the intervention, establishing a secure area where residents were provided with assistance by the emergency services.

The National Police endeavoured to identify the proprietor of the apartment from which the fire originated. He stated that a man had resided in the house for an extended period of time, had ceased to pay rent, and had continued to inhabit it as a squatter.

He clarified that legal proceedings were currently underway to enforce his eviction, which was scheduled for early May. The proprietor also informed the officers that, due to the proximity of the vacancy date, he suspected that the tenant may have intentionally set the fire to damage the property before departing.

The tenants’ involvement in numerous prior incidents rendered them “convinced” that the tenant was responsible for the fire, as evidenced by the testimony of building residents during the subsequent investigation.

After extinguishing the fire, we verified that the resident was not at home at the time of the incident. In such instances, the Provincial Forensic Police Brigade was summoned to conduct a technical and police inspection of the residence, as per the established procedure.

Simultaneously, the National Police initiated a search operation, as they suspected that the resident was directly responsible for the fire’s inception. He was promptly apprehended while attempting to re-enter the burned-out home in the middle of the afternoon.

The individual who was apprehended has a criminal record for other offences and will be presented to the Alicante Investigative Court in the near future.

In order to safeguard its facilities, Elche has implemented a prohibition on the sale and consumption of sunflower seeds on the stadium grounds, commencing with the upcoming match against Levante on May 10th. According to Elche’s statement, the measure is also being implemented to ensure hygiene and to reaffirm the club’s dedication to environmental sustainability and respect.

Recently, the green-and-white team has asserted that the substantial consumption of sunflower seeds at matches has resulted in a structural issue. The club’s statement asserts that “the shells clog drains and pipes; they damage the seats and affect the paint and finishes on multiple surfaces; they significantly increase cleaning and maintenance costs; they attract infestations of rats and pigeons; and, above all, they jeopardise the health of the stands.”

Elche also emphasises that “it is not feasible to eliminate the waste entirely” despite the cleanup teams’ endeavours. Furthermore, Elche states that the sunflower seed husks “contribute to the erosion of the concrete floor and the accumulation of debris in hard-to-reach areas.”

Finally, the club acknowledges that the decision is not “intended to punish any fan” and expresses gratitude to its supporters for their comprehension.