Residents of Arenal in Llucmajor are collecting signatures to demand that the town hall "takes more care" of what is one of Mallorca's leading tourist resorts. "Everything is a disaster," says spokesperson Sandra Jiménez. 500 signatures have so far been collected, and the petition is to be presented to the town hall as a pressure measure.
Better street cleaning, repaired pavements, rubbish containers and litter bins in a good condition, increased security and surveillance. These are among the demands, Jiménez saying: "We're not asking for anything out of the ordinary. All we want is to live in a decent area because that's what we pay our taxes for."
On Monday, some 200 people gathered in Arenal's Plaça Major. There were also residents from the Llucmajor 'urbanisations', "as they are in the same situation as us". Waste collection has been an issue for months. "On top of this, everything else is also bad - the filthy sewers, the broken and dilapidated pavements, the potholes ... . Everything is so neglected."
They will attend the next council meeting in order to speak with Mayor Xisca Lascolas. "We want her to listen to our demands and commit to fixing all the issues we're denouncing, because we can't live like this. This is not a political mobilisation. We all believe this municipality needs urgent action to offer a better appearance to our visitors. We have to remember that we practically live off tourism, and we can't give such a deplorable image.
"We believe that the residents of Arenal deserve an explanation about what is happening and a commitment from the authorities to solve the problems we face in this area."