23/12/2012 15:54:00:

 Arguing over the virtues of Benidorm over Madrid is way off the problem of Spains continuing economic decline.

The problem stems partly from the fact that the spanish could not organise a p...up in a brewery.

I live on a large urbanisation of some 7000 people but the council are now some 12 years late in issuing our certificates of habitation and so the vast majority are not paying their taxes, IBI etc. Can you blame them.

If you go into the village most of the local shops can't be bothered to serve you so we stick with the English shops on our urbanisation or hop onlin with Amazon or Ebay.

None of this helps the spanish economy.

Thread: How should we feel

--------------------------------------

12/08/2012 11:54:00:

Daniels,

You obviously dont get out much. Both the litter and the chewing gum splattered streets are still there this morning. I would be very upset if I was mooring a boat there. Take a drive around the back roads and villages and count how many dead dogs and cats you see and we always seem to encounter spanish men urinating at the side of the road, an arrestable offence in most other countries. Compare this to when I walk out from our apartment building on Jumeirah Beach, you could eat off the pavement though you wouldn't be allowed to.

Thread: Problems with living in Spain

--------------------------------------

10/08/2012 22:28:00:

It sounds like you all live in wonderful parts of Spain, lucky you. Here in Mazarron, especially the Port and surrounding areas, effectively all the way to Cartagena, there is a sea of waste matter. Pavements almost completely coverred in chewing gum, spanish bars with the sea of nut shells on the floor and cigarette ends everywhere, no smoking has not caught on here yet. On our urbanisation we all pay towards street cleaning which is carried out by a regular team of residents and we carry out our own road repairs and maintenance of green areas.

Dubai would be a lovely place to live except for much of the year its too hot and foreigners are not allowed to buy property. We are lucky to have the use of our sons apartment, quite nice but only 2 bed and the rent £1200 per WEEK. My pension wont stretch to that.

Thread: Problems with living in Spain

--------------------------------------

08/08/2012 11:23:00:

I have been here for 10 years and choose to live in an English community because the Spanish areas are so filthy. There is paper and chewing gum and all other sorts of rubbish all over the pavements and public areas, not to mention the abundance of dead dogs and cats.  I have worked in India and Nigeria and believe me these places are clean compared to Spain.

I am not saying that ther UK is much better but at least the streets are cleaned and the police will charge people with litter offences. We holiday in Dubai, what a difference, there is no litter, pavements look they have just been laid and why because you will go to jail if you drop as much as a cigarette end. The people dont resent this, on the contrary they have a pride in keeping the place clean. If they see anybody dropping litter they will jump on the perpetrator and hold them until the police arrive.

The spanish government could do well to follow their example.

Thread: Problems with living in Spain

--------------------------------------

23/06/2012 10:46:00:

I imported 3 vehicles when we arrived here. It was the worst thing I ever did. It is just an opportunity for the authorities to fleece you and they did me at every turn. Where I live most people have chosen to leave their vehicles on English plates. You can get overseas drivers insurance in the UK which covers you for 12 months out of the country. Our local insurance company states on its website that they will cover you on English reg vehicles provided you have an ITV. My local garage has told me that many of their spanish clients have bought English reg vehicles to avoid tax and fines. As long as you have some paperwork the spanish police are not interested.

Alternatively you can get good deals from main dealers, we got €5000 off the price of a new car because it had been their demonstrator, it only had 4000kms on the clock, and we got the full warranty.

Thread: New laws and taxes on bringing uk car on uk plates.

--------------------------------------