Rainbow reward
pic: Dave Jamieson
Rainbow over Burriana November 20, 2018
EU plans to abolish changing the clocks
twice a year have been delayed. Ministers
wanted to end the practice in March 2019
but after a number of states called for more
time to debate the issue, the present system
may remain in place until 2021.
Geographically, Spain should be in the
same time zone as the UK and Portugal and
critics say being an hour ahead leads to
longer working hours but lower
productivity.
Holiday fraudsters
convicted
Four members of the same British
family have been jailed and fined by a
court in Liverpool after submitting a
fake food poisoning claim following
their holiday in Benidorm during July
2015. All four alleged they became ill
after eating the hotel food. Jet2 Holidays said in a statement that
each of the four was sentenced to three
months in prison and fined £750 (€842)
for, “concocting a fake claim for gastric
illness to win compensation.” They
were also ordered to pay the travel
operator’s legal costs.
Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and
Jet2holidays, said “For some time we
have warned that making false claims
could lead to serious consequences,
and this ruling shows how serious they
can be.”
Courts strike They demanded around £50,000
(€56,700) compensation from travel
operator Jet2 Holidays after their stay
at Aqua Magic Rock Gardens Hotel.
The group filed their claim when they
returned to the UK alleging that the
hotel food had given them nausea,
vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach
cramps. Almost 500 trials were suspended in
Málaga last month as the province’s judges
and prosecutors took part in a nationwide
one-day strike. The stoppage, in support of
more resources and greater independence,
was reported to have attracted a “massive”
response across the country. Their
representatives are also calling for better
pay, an increase in the establishment and
improved working conditions. However, the court heard that all four
had posted messages on social media
sites, stating that they were having “the
best holiday ever” and “enjoying every
minute.” Hotel records were produced
which showed they had been ordering
alcohol, including beer, gin and vodka,
even when they were supposed to be
unwell.
Contraband gang
Tax authorities in Granada, working with
customs officials in Croatia, have broken
up an international gang importing and
distributing contraband tobacco. Three
people have been detained and four tons of
tobacco destined for Spain seized. Officers
found raw tobacco was being stored in an
industrial unit at Chauchina, west of the
capital, until it could be used to produce
consumable products for sale.
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Hotels are responsible for the claims
made against travel operators, and
Spain’s hoteliers believe they have lost
millions of Euros after thousands of
similar complaints were filed by British
holidaymakers over several years.
Fourteen months ago, the British
government promised to crackdown
on the “holiday sickness claims culture”
which is not evident in other European
countries.