Joshua Parfitt

Joshua James Parfitt is the Costa Blanca correspondent for the Olive Press. He holds a gold-standard NCTJ in multimedia journalism from the award-winning News Associates in Twickenham. His work has been published in the Sunday Times, Esquire, the Mail on Sunday, the Daily Mail, the Sun, the Sun on Sunday, the Mirror, among others. He has appeared on BBC Breakfast to discuss devastating flooding in Spain, as well as making appearances on BBC and LBC radio stations. Contact me now: joshua@theolivepress.es or call +44 07960046259. Twitter: @jjparfitt

British mum SLATED for leaving cleaning staff used toiletries as a tip after Benidorm holiday

A BRITISH holidaymaker has been branded ‘demeaning’ after tipping cleaning staff with half-used toiletries following a Benidorm holiday. Louise Wagstaff published pictures of her ‘gifts’

2 May, 2019 @ 10:25

Costa Blanca·Lead

VOX candidate for Benidorm mayor booted out after revealing he received two-year sentence for domestic violence last February

VOX’S top candidate for Benidorm mayor has been replaced after it was revealed he received a two-year prison sentence for repeated domestic violence last February.

2 May, 2019 @ 09:53

Costa Blanca·Lead·Politics

Passenger ferry that killed sperm whale ‘did not know’ it was stuck to the stern until docking in Valencia

A PASSENGER ferry has killed a sperm whale during a routine trip between Palma, Mallorca, and Valencia. The giant whale was only discovered when the

1 May, 2019 @ 17:41

Costa Blanca·Environment·Lead

British families scammed out of thousands from fake holiday rental sites on Spain’s Costa Blanca and Mallorca

Professional chocolate taster Angus Kennedy discovered a German man living at the Mallorcan villa he had booked through Dream Villas Spain

26 Apr, 2019 @ 12:56

Costa Blanca·Crime & Law·Lead·Mallorca

WATCH: Videos pour in as ‘gota fria’ drenches Javea and Denia on Spain’s Costa Blanca

A RED alert warning has been issued as torrential rains create flash floods on Spain’s Costa Blanca. Coastal towns in the Marina Alta comarca of

22 Apr, 2019 @ 00:52

Costa Blanca·Environment·Lead

Marina Alta on RED ALERT as heavy rains cause flash floods along Spain’s Costa Blanca

THE Marina Alta and La Sofar comarca’s on Spain’s Costa Blanca have been put on RED ALERT as heavy rains risk flash floods. Spain’s state

22 Apr, 2019 @ 00:05

Costa Blanca·Environment·Lead

‘Level 1 emergency’ declared as largest Easter storm in 73 years hits the Costa Blanca

WHAT was that saying about the rain in Spain? Since Thursday, the Costa Blanca has been hit by the largest April storm in 73 years

21 Apr, 2019 @ 11:49

Costa Blanca·Environment·Lead

Health Agency issues warning that Dutch cookies containing CANNABIS are being accidentally sold to children across Spain

The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition has issued a warning about the presence of cannabis in a brand of children’s cookies that arrived

20 Apr, 2019 @ 10:00

Costa Blanca·Lead·Mallorca·Other News

Diver resuscitated after suffering heart attack off coast from Javea on Spain’s Costa Blanca

A 69-YEAR-OLD man has been saved after suffering a cardiac arrest while scuba diving off the coast of Javea on the Costa Blanca. The diving

20 Apr, 2019 @ 00:18

Costa Blanca

BREAKING: Foreign Office issues warning to Brits as strike set to hit EVERY Spanish airport this Easter

THE Foreign Office has issued a warning to Brits hoping for an Easter getaway in Spain as a strike is set to affect every airport

19 Apr, 2019 @ 17:24

Costa Blanca·Lead·Mallorca·Other News·Travel News

Spain’s first two-headed floating wind turbine expected to become ‘lowest cost solution’ for renewable energy far from coastline

SPAIN’S first floating two-headed wind turbine has been built in Gran Canaria. The prototype, dubbed W2Power, is hoped to become the ‘lowest cost solution’ for

19 Apr, 2019 @ 16:35

Environment·Lead·Malaga

Handler strike to affect ALL of Spain starting Easter Sunday

SPANISH airport handlers have confirmed plans for a mass walkout over the upcoming Easter weekend. The strike action by 60,000 staff will affect all airports

18 Apr, 2019 @ 21:41

Costa Blanca·Lead·Mallorca·Other News·Travel News

British Pensioner followed by car for over an hour before attackers stole his €35,000 Rolex on Spain’s Costa Blanca

A British pensioner has had his €35,000 Rolex stolen after being followed for over an hour from Calpe to Moraira. Ronald Johnson, 72, was leaving

18 Apr, 2019 @ 17:53

Costa Blanca·Crime & Law·Lead

British man, 72, who tried to kill sleeping stepson with hammer jailed in Spain’s Costa Blanca

A BRITISH pensioner who took a hammer to his sleeping stepson’s head has been jailed following a court hearing on the Costa Blanca. Robert Ulph,

18 Apr, 2019 @ 17:08

Costa Blanca·Crime & Law·Lead

Italian accused of raping 17-year-old British girl WALKS FREE from Valencian court as incident happened on Panamanian cruise ship

AN Italian accused of raping a 17-year-old British girl on a cruise-liner has walked free from a Valencian court due to a legal loophole. After

18 Apr, 2019 @ 00:19

Costa Blanca·Lead·Mallorca

BREAKING: Police reveal British woman, 84, committed suicide by jumping off a bridge in Javea

An 84-year-old British woman has committed suicide after jumping off a bridge over the dry riverbed in Javea. Concerned social media users spotted three police

17 Apr, 2019 @ 10:36

Costa Blanca·Lead

British pensioner dies after falling off bridge in Javea on the Costa Blanca

A BRITISH woman has tragically died after falling from a bridge above a dry riverbed in Javea. Concerned social media users spotted three police cars

16 Apr, 2019 @ 21:53

Costa Blanca·Lead

IN PICS: Four dogs found chained in abandoned house without food among rubbish and faeces on the Costa Blanca

FOUR dogs have been discovered chained in an abandoned house without food on the Costa Blanca. British expat Roger Ballantine was out walking near Orba,

16 Apr, 2019 @ 19:23

Costa Blanca·Lead

Rain to soak Alicante’s Semana Santa celebrations

THE Spanish meteorology agency (AEMET) has issued a yellow weather warning for this coming Thursday, predicting gale-force winds and waves up to three metres high.

16 Apr, 2019 @ 14:58

Costa Blanca·Lead

NOT RUSSIAN AROUND: Russian plane charged €20,000 to park at Alicante airport

IF you thought airport car parks were pricey, be grateful you’re not parking a plane. A Russian Antonov An-124 is being charged €1,000 a day

16 Apr, 2019 @ 13:08

Costa Blanca·Lead

Spain’s Mercadona ditches single-use plastic bags

ONE of Spain’s best-known supermarkets has ditched plastic carrier bags in favour of sustainable alternatives. Mercadona, which owns 1636 supermarkets across Spain and Portugal, announced

16 Apr, 2019 @ 12:37

Costa Blanca·Environment·Lead·Mallorca

French woman dies after falling from a cliff while picking a flower on the Costa Blanca

A WOMAN has died after losing her balance while picking a flower on the cliffs of Les Rotes, near Denia. The 67-year-old, of French nationality,

15 Apr, 2019 @ 17:04

Costa Blanca·Lead

‘ARE WE NEARLY THERE YET?’: New record time set on Javea’s Mirador Challenge

TROPHIES, medals and bottles of bubbly saw off this year’s edition of The Mirador Challenge, comprising 15 iconic viewpoints along the coastline of Javea. The

15 Apr, 2019 @ 16:21

Costa Blanca·Sport

ANCIENT Roman mosaics saved on Costa Blanca following years of human pollution

ANCIENT Roman mosaics will soon be open to the public in Calpe after undergoing months of restoration work. The 2,000-year-old artworks at the Baños de

15 Apr, 2019 @ 16:13

Costa Blanca·La Cultura