The leaders of a Spanish resort that is popular with UK tourists and expats have introduced strict new rules regarding swimming pools and public showers.
Millions of people travel from the UK to Spain each year, and many of these visit the Costa del Sol. Malaga and the surrounding towns also have a large British expat community, particularly in areas like Fuengirola and Benalmádena.
Amid an ongoing drought in the country, Benalmádena's Town Council has introduced new regulations which will be used in times of "exceptional drought".
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Olive Press reports a new ordinance voted in by the council could see people flouting the rules hit with fines of up to 600,000 euro. The publication added: "The ordinance states, among other things, that in situations of exceptional drought, supplies may be cut off when ‘excess consumption incompatible with the decreed savings or reductions’ is detected.
"It adds that it would be a precautionary cut and would not be longer than 48 hours.
"In times of an exceptional drought, the ordinance mentions the ‘limitation and partial and total prohibition of the use of drinking water for irrigation and washing, filling swimming pools, watering gardens, watering golf courses, ornamental fountains or public showers and fountains’."
Already this year, droughts have been declared from the Canary Islands to Catalunya, with rainfall at record lows, and temperatures at records highs, across recent years.
Photos obtained by the ECHO on Wednesday, May 1, show public showers and water fountains taped off on the beach at Benalmádena.
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