Costa del Sol town hall demands that unsealed wells are monitored after death of dog walker and subsequent heated debate

Councillors in Vélez-Málaga on the eastern Costa del Sol have voted unanimously to ask the Andalusian regional government to monitor unsealed wells in the municipality following the death David Ruiz Hierrezuelo, who died when he fell into an unmarked well earlier this month.

The death of 51-year-old David shocked the Axarquía town and his family and local residents have argued that his death "could have been avoided if the well, which had been disused for several decades, had been properly marked, fenced off and sealed". While waiting to hear whether or not the family plan to go to court over David's death, during a council meeting on Tuesday 23 September a motion by political party Andalucía por Sí was debated and unanimously approved, to demand that the Andalusian regional government monitor unsealed wells in Vélez-Málaga.

Although the motion was unanimously approved, it was not without controversy between all of the political groups represented in the town hall. The Andalucía por Sí spokesperson, José Pino, as the proposer of the motion, reproached the coalition currently in power for the fact that Seprona, the Guardia Civil's environmental protection unit, "had warned the town hall about the existence of the well long before" Ruiz Hierrezuelo died. "The information was there and nobody did anything," he said, while calling for "an urgent investigation to find out the truth".

The Vox and PSOE groups have called for "the law to be enforced" and for the family of the deceased to be helped. "We believe that prevention is not an option but an obligation. We support this motion to take a step forward so that the town hall demands that the Andalusian regional government and private owners comply with the law," said the spokesperson for VOX, Javier Herreros.

"We must give the family our full support in whatever they need, psychological support, because they are going through a very difficult time and legal support, because they have to defend themselves and those responsible must be held accountable," said the PSOE spokesperson, Víctor González.

The mayor of Vélez-Málaga, Jesús Lupiáñez (Partido Popular), said that "from the moment we became aware of the existence of the well preventive measures were taken, always respecting the judicial investigation on the ground. Once it was possible, the hole was completely sealed".

Among the four agreements proposed are that the town hall "obliges the owners of all private land with and without wells to fence, clean and secure them, as well as to maintain public land in the same conditions of cleanliness and safety".