Red for Danger

For first time Alicante police imposed the a fine on a swimmer
The new by-law approved by Alicante City Hall last summer makes it an offence to swim on the city’s beaches while the red warning flag is flying, On Tuesday a man swimming on the Playa de San Juan was the first bather to be fined for doing just that.

It happened when Local police were called out to the beach after the man reportedly ignored instructions from Red Cross lifeguards to leave the sea because of the dangers of swimming. A council spokesperson said the objective in such situations is to give a warning rather than issue a fine,however it was the man’s attitude which finally pushed officers to impose a fine. He is reported to have told police that he would swim whenever he liked, as he had been doing for the past 20 years, and that no-one was going to tell him when he could or couldn’t bathe in the sea.

The by-law allows for fines of between 750 to 1,500 €.