A SQUATTER camp has been evicted on the Rio Gui river on the eastern Costa del Sol for a second time this summer, part of a wider crackdown on almost 20 sites across the town.
The local town hall in Torrox says its Policia Local, in some cases backed by the Guardia Civil, has closed 20 occupied buildings and shanty settlements this summer, citing fire and flood risks and a lack of basic safety, habitability and sanitary conditions.
The latest operation targeted the camp beneath the bridge, on the western edge of the coastal settlement of El Morche near the neighbouring town of Velez-Malaga, which was first cleared in mid-July and was raided again because of its position inside the riverbed and the risk of a sudden rise in the water.
Torrox mayor Oscar Medina said the operations balance public safety with support for vulnerable people.
“We are continuing to act to protect both people in vulnerable situations and private property, guaranteeing safety and coexistence in our public spaces,” he said in a statement released by the town hall.
Medina added: “We cannot normalise someone sleeping in a riverbed or remaining irregularly in a property, public or private, surrounded by materials that could start a fire.”
He also called for a joint response from Spain’s regional and central governments, noting Torrox had already asked Madrid for solutions.
The first Rio Gui eviction in mid-July involved the Guardia Civil, Policia Local, Proteccion Civil and municipal cleaning crews, when around ten people were living at the site and left without incident or arrest.
Crews cleared mattresses, blankets, rubbish and improvised shelters from beneath the bridge, but people moved back in, and the town hall has again brought in contractor FCC Caviclum to clear the site.
Diario Sur reported in July that municipal sources had identified several smaller settlements elsewhere in Torrox, along with attempts to access empty properties, all being watched by the security forces.
Beyond the Rio Gui, this summer’s clearances have covered Punta del Faro, Calle Carlos Cano, Calle Baja, the Ferrara sports courts and the Almeria road near the Urban Beach hotel.
The town hall has not said how many of the near-20 operations targeted homes rather than open-air camps, or how many people in total have been affected.
The Rio Gui camp has now been cleared twice in a matter of weeks, making it the most repeated flashpoint in Torrox’s summer crackdown on illegal occupations.
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