Costa del Sol town cracks down on abandoned cars and vans with threat of fines from 751 to 3,000 euros

Abandoned vehicles on public roads are a widespread problem in Malaga province, exacerbating parking problems, especially in the summer months. To deal with it, Torrox Local Police force on the eastern Costa del Sol has been carrying out a campaign to detect and deal with abandoned vehicles on the town's public roads.

In the last ten years 527 such vehicles have been processed by the authorities, a figure that could reach 700 once the latest cases have been dealt with.

Vehicles whose number plates have been removed or those that have been parked in the same place for more than a month as they cannot be driven are some of the reasons for initiating proceedings for their removal.

Once abandonment has been confirmed, officers issue private notifications and notifications through the Official State Bulletin (BOE), and through consulates in the case of foreign vehicles, after which a period of one month is granted for removal.

Officers check that the owners are not away, suffering from illness or waiting for parts to repair their vehicles. If the owners do not come forward with a valid reason, Torrox Local Police may issue fines ranging from 751 to 1,500 euros, although in more serious cases the fine could reach 3,000 euros.

"The ultimate goal of the campaign is to remove old or unusable vehicles from the road to prevent them from occupying parking spaces and causing pollution due to spills, given the obvious danger this can pose, as well as to improve the overall image of public roads in Torrox," the town hall said in a statement.

Torrox Local Police has called on members of the public to report any abandoned vehicles, either by contacting an authorised centre or by writing to the official email address: policialocal@torrox.es, so that the vehicles can be removed and destroyed if the owner does not come forward.