IT’S a race against time for Costa del Sol’s beaches to repair damage from storms ahead of the Easter holidays.
Andalucia’s ayuntamientos have stepped up beach clean-up operations after January and February’s storms wreaked havoc on the Costa del Sol.
Storm damage has left a hefty bill along the Andalusian coast, with Torremolinos estimating losses of €700,000, Fuengirola €600,000 and Marbella €400,000 to repair their battered shorelines.
That funding comes on top of the €2.9 million already authorised by the central government for coastal emergency works.
READ MORE: Top tips to avoid poisonous processionary caterpillars as the season starts on the Costa del Sol
Estepona, Mijas, Benalmadema, Torremolinos and and Marbella’s ayuntamientos have all ramped up their beach cleaning efforts as semana santa approaches.
In Estepona, a crew of 13 workers have removed over 800 tonnes of fallen branches and reeds from the coastline.
A two-week recovery mission is underway in Marbella to get the city’s beaches ready for the Easter season.
Work crews are replenishing the city’s storm-damaged beaches with thousands of tonnes of sand to restore areas lost to erosion.
They are first focussing on the central beaches, El Faro and La Fontilla, and then will shift focus to Nagueles, the exclusive beach on Marbella’s coveted Golden Mile.
Meanwhile in Mijas, the town hall has awarded a €223,000 emergency contract to restore its beaches within 60 days after storms tore through the coastline and destroyed part of the seaside path.
Clean-up operations are also in progress in Benalmadena, where powerful gusts of wind toppled palm trees onto the beach.
The town’s mayor has called for more support from the central government, explaining that the ayuntamiento’s resources are stretched.
He said that the beaches are ‘our main tourist attraction’ and the government must ensure ‘they are in perfect condition for Easter and throughout the summer’.
It’s a similar story in Torremolinos, one of the hardest-hit towns on the Costa del Sol, where recovery could cost up to €700,000.
Local authorities are currently assessing repairs trying to secure funding for restoration works ahead of the Easter and summer seasons.
The Easter season hangs in the balance as local authorities race to restore the Costa del Sol’s beaches in time for the holiday crowds.
Click here to read more Costa Del Sol News from The Olive Press.
