A BAND of British expats have told the Olive Press they have almost given up hope for their Alicante community, which has been terrorised by squatters following years of inaction by authorities. 

Squatters began taking over homes on Calle Vincent van Gogh in Los Montesinos approximately five years ago, when unfinished construction work left buildings unoccupied. 

Now, ‘two rows of these houses where there’s no electricity, no running water, and no amenities at all’ are filled with unwelcome occupants. 

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Lorraine Lang, a British expat, has lived on the other side of this road for seventeen years with her elderly husband who is ‘partially disabled and cannot walk’.

The ‘old age pensioner’ now looks out of his apartment to a view of old furniture, dirty laundry, and numerous squatters. 

These occupants journey down to the local reservoir ‘to fill up empty canisters that they take out of the bin with water’, according to another local resident and Lang’s friend, Barbarann Blake.

Some of the squatters drive cars whilst others have set up security cameras powered by solar panels outside the buildings. 

They have been spotted begging by village supermarkets and seen dumping their rubbish into the bins that local residents complain they ‘pay so much money for’. 

Their presence is causing neighbouring properties to devalue on a daily basis and creates a ‘stinky and unpleasant’ living environment.

READ MORE: Squatters spark outrage by calling police on three burglars trying to break into ‘their’ home in Malaga town

Despite the evident distress the occupants are causing, numerous meetings with the mayor and calls to the police have not amounted to any action. 

The mayor insisted to Blake that the houses had been bought after the bank repossessed the land a couple of months ago but she has ‘not heard anything since’ and the squatters continue to occupy the properties.

Upon asking the mayor if he had any further news Blake was given the response, ‘no, not yet’.

Last year, Lang called the police after witnessing more squatters move in.

Officials came to have a look and the next day sent a summons to appear at court through Lang’s door because one of the squatters had reportedly assaulted a policeman, although Lang did not witness this.

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Lang and Blake ‘waited in court for two hours’ together and then were told they could leave, as far as they are aware no action regarding the squatters was taken and Lang has not called the police since – she fears having to return to court and knows that they have not previously helped the situation. 

The houses are not just filled with humans but also animals – one of the buildings has become the home of a ‘cat colony’ which Lang speculates is being sold by ‘one of the squatters who has people pulling up to see the animals’.

After years of fighting for the squatters’ removal, these British expats do not know who to turn to – ‘I just don’t know what more we can do’, says Blake.

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