Malaga beach illegal camping turning chronic issue outrages local residents

The situation worsens at weekends, when homeless people and migrants mingle with young backpacker tourists looking to save on accommodation.

On average, around 20 people sleep along the most central and popular beach in the city every day, according to residents, shopkeepers and people who regularly go for walks or exercise along the seafront promenade.

The coastal law bans sleeping on any stretch of beach. In addition to creating a visual obstacle, these illegal camps lead to the accumulation of urine, faeces and waste. Every morning, municipal cleaning workers have to add this to their daily tasks.

It is clear that the regular police checks have not managed to prevent illegal camping so far during this extremely hot July. The weather makes the beaches the most pleasant places to spend the night outdoors.

The authorities acknowledge that campers have taken advantage of circumstances such as the World Cup celebrations and other events to go unnoticed.

Furthermore, on weekend nights, the police are spread out and focused on other, more urgent public safety tasks.

Local residents and regular users of the seafront promenade admit they are tired of complaining about this.

The busiest area is the stretch between Antonio Martín and the port breakwater, opposite the military station and Club Mediterráneo. Locals say it is common to see people urinating anywhere.

They also complain of a rise in crime. Petty thefts and bag-snatching, particularly targeting unsuspecting tourists, occur almost daily.

"Most of them are illegal immigrants and they get drunk. There are often fights between them," local kiosk owner María says.

"This used to be an area where you could take a peaceful stroll with children, but now you can't. They're giving the city a bad rep," she says.

She admits that the police often come and chase them away, "but it's a never-ending cycle, because they come in one way and head off the other". "Nothing happens to them. They just get a fine."

María says that they gather in that area because that's where the most tourists are. Many of the people camping in the area use this to sell. "The laws and the police should be stricter. Why are they allowed to sell illegally?"

Inés, who also runs a newsagent's on the same seafront promenade, agrees that there is a prevailing sense of insecurity. "More than once you see them running after foreigners to rob them. Something happens every day. We need a greater police presence at this beach," she says.

Usually there are about 20 people "selling things, throwing away cans and littering the area". "They also get into a lot of fights among themselves and with tourists and local residents," Inés says.

José Miguel, a resident of Limonar who regularly passes through La Malagueta, has come across tourists who have had everything stolen from them. "In broad daylight, they're always on the lookout to rob them. They usually target suitcases and there isn't much of a police presence. The area is becoming increasingly unsafe and it's a cause for concern."

"My house overlooks the beach and I've often had to call the police because I see people sleeping on the beach," La Malagueta resident Eduardo says.

"The lack of safety in the area isn't new: there's always been a bit of a racket and now it's got worse. There should be more policing, but I don't think the situation is alarming enough, as thefts and fights are nothing new."

"At night, there are some dodgy people hanging about on the beach and that makes us feel a bit unsafe. Especially when I'm coming home alone in the early hours, I don't feel safe walking through that area. But it's also true that every summer there are lots of people on the beach, so the waste problem is more or less the same," local resident Rosa says.

The beaches department of Malaga city council is aware of the situation, but its responsibility is limited to clearing waste from the sand: a task which it sometimes finds difficult because there are people sleeping there and the machines cannot get through.

Similar illegal camps can be seen on the San Andrés beach in the Huelin district.

The solution lies within the remit of the security and social rights departments, which regularly visits the beach, confirming that the people they find there are the same.

Read dedicated local reporting for Malaga city