Brits looking for sun, sea and sand in Spain this summer may be disappointed.
Popular beaches in Spain are set to close until July at the earliest as tourists are set to flock to the country in the coming months. It comes as improvement works are set to be carried out across Benalmádena, located near Costa del Sol.
Large stretches of beaches are set to be off limits from Monday, March 20. The local council has said it will be closing the Torrebermeja and Las Gaviotas beaches indefinitely during weekdays but it will be open during the weekends, reported Birmingham Live.
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The council has said it hopes that the improvement works will be done by July but it hasn't settled on a date. It explained that the beach bars in the area will be able to maintain their normal activity, as well as those on the promenade, reiterating that the access ban refers only to the beach.
The local government team asked the Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition to postpone the works until after the summer but they were refused. From July to December, government officials said they could not start construction work to guarantee the safety of the Patella Ferrugínea, a marine species with a very high level of protection.
The central government is spending 1.1 million euros on extending shore protection that separates the popular Malapesquera and Santa Ana beaches by 80 metres. Last year a stretch of beach in Benalmádena was forced to close due to a sewage pipe leak.
It comes as Costa del Sol tourism bosses are fighting to get more Brits to visit the sun-drenched area after the coronavirus pandemic hammered their fortunes. For decades the southern Spain coastal resort has been favoured by UK holiday makers looking for some cheap sun, sea and sand.
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