Why Are Uk Drivers’ Cars Being Towed Away From The Streets Of Benalmadena?

The 90-day norm brought successful for Schengen areas continues to person its complications for those Brits who ain vacation homes successful Spain. And now, UK drivers’ cars are being towed away.

There person been crackdowns connected foreigners owning spot they temporarily rent retired to holidaymakers successful their absence, on pinch online registry systems that are said to beryllium difficult to use. Those systems are accused of being problematic and often not functioning properly; and now, it seems wherever nan owners time off their vehicles could lead to towing too.

Parking cars successful thoroughfare – UK vacation location owners losing theirs

The main issue? Climate. In various parts of Spain, but peculiarly nan confederate seashore for illustration Malaga province, wherever nan area tends to bask an mean of 335 sunny days a year, nan small rainfall location is won’t support your car clean. In fact, it will, much often than not, time off it successful an moreover worse-looking information and barroom it successful particulate and mud. And nan culprit? “Calima.”.

Calima is that dense particulate blown complete nan Mediterranean from nan Sahara Desert that settles connected everything it passes. On nan overseas juncture it tin beryllium moreover worse. In March 2023, nan arena reared its muddy head, leaving places successful nan Malaga state caked successful 10 centimetres of our clay, muddying pristine pueblos blancos, and causing €100s of thousands successful clean-up operations.

Long-term thoroughfare parking banned – vacation location zones targeted

Warning sticker – cleanable your car aliases else!
Credit: EWN

A predominant occurrence successful coastal towns successful nan southbound of Spain, not slightest successful neighbourhoods which are vacation location areas, is that cars which look to person been parked astatine nan broadside of nan roadworthy for excessively agelong are towed distant to nan municipal compound and yet disposed of. The conveyance owners past return to Spain to find their car is nary longer wherever they near it. The rule states, arsenic it does successful galore countries, that thoroughfare parking must only beryllium temporary, and truthful ones that are covered successful particulate bespeak that nan conveyance has outstayed its invited and is deemed past to beryllium abandoned.

What constitutes abandonment of a conveyance whitethorn beryllium subjective depending connected nan section authority and wherever precisely it is parked. But 1 point that is definite is that it is going to costs nan proprietor a sizeable magnitude successful fines and betterment costs.

In 2023, Madrid removed 1,162 abandoned vehicles, while Ceuta removed 95 successful conscionable nan first half of 2025. Figures are unclear for nan Costa del Sol municipality of Benalmadena, but according to section residents, tows are a predominant sight. Local ordinance says “2 months”, but who tin opportunity really agelong a car has been parked successful nan thoroughfare different than its level of dustiness?

The solution? If you don’t person a car shed space, salary nan other to time off your car successful an charismatic long-stay car park. It will decidedly beryllium worthy it successful nan end.