Eloise HorsfieldNEARLY a hundred pieces of furniture have been confiscated in Nerja as part of a town hall clampdown to tidy up the streets.
Officials seized a whopping 23 tables and 72 chairs from one hotel – which they did not wish to name – because it was using the street to trade illegally.
“If restaurant owners want to extend their trade onto the street, they need to apply to the town hall to be able to use a certain number of metres,” said a spokesman.
“Some go over their authorised limits,” he added, “whereas others never even apply.”
The tables and chairs were stored in a town hall warehouse until the restauranteurs paid off their fines.
“We don’t want to give the name of the hotel because we are not trying to damage anyone’s reputation,” he continued, adding that the furniture was returned on Tuesday after the establishment paid their dues in full.
“We will continue our campaign over the next few days,” said the spokesman.
The campaign, launched in July, began following several complaints from locals.
“We understand businesses need to use public spaces, but we also need to defend citizens’ rights to be able to move around the streets and the squares of Nerja,” he continued, adding that most restaurant owners comply fully with the rules.
