As can be seen from the photograph below, hot ash and plastic bins don’t mix.

Early today, Sat 30th Jan, a resident of D sector (identity not known) deposited hot ashes in a green plastic bin on the perimeter road by D26. Later in the day these ashes ignited the remaining rubbish in the bin and within 20 minutes three plastic bins had melted in to a green slick on the side of the road.

Obviously the moral of this story is to make sure ashes are completely out before disposing of them in plastic bins.

Earlier this week a CRA member reported to the Committee that he thought there maybe problems in the location of the rambla bridge between B & C Sectors. On inspection it was found that there is major subsidence and erosion starting under the footpath on the B side of the bridge. This part of the footpath and bridge is very important as it also carries the 12 inch main water feed across the rambla.
The CRA immediately contacted Miguel (Masa) who inspected the damage with the CRA and Miguel agreed that this situation needed attention and would arrange for repair work to be undertaken.
We will report any further developments as they occur.

The article below, in English and Spanish, was taken from the Opinion section of the weekly Mazarron newspaper La Voz dated 8th Jan 2010. It was written by a Spanish journalist.

The Camposol Scandal
In Mazarrón is one of the most important and largest estates in Spain, where thousands of foreigners live all year round.
Camposol is a development of thousands of homes, which should be in its day, one of the most modern and pleasant in the Spanish Peninsula. But today it is the shame of the municipality of Mazarron, and our Mayor has much to do with all of this. Camposol was a project started under the PSOE legislature over a decade ago, many years before the Government of Mr. Blaya took command. Since taking over the municipality Mr Blaya and the Partido Popular has done nothing to ensure that the construction company, Masa, finishes the work of the urbanization.
Most citizens residing in Camposol are outraged at being forced to face so much indifference on the part of the municipality of Mazarron, whose imposed taxes are significant, but not receive any services. Many foreigners saw Camposol as the ideal site for their dream of coming to live in Spain, become a reality. This dream soon transformed into a nightmare.
From the start Masa built houses with speed and badly, which for example, causes significant cracks in the walls of many houses. Building on unstable ground can cause the collapse of a house, this has happened on several occasions. The indifference of successive regimes has resulted in this result! From the outset they left Masa to build dwellings without the basic infrastructure being finished. When there are no rules, all ensure they win.
When it is too late, nobody wants to be responsible.! How pathetic! Does the law not oblige Town Hall engineers to control the security and the quality of the works? The only thing that Mr. Blaya does is meet with the Camposol Residents Association to talk for a while, take a snack, and that is it. The important issues are not resolved! It seems to be that the alleged confrontation between Masa and our City Hall has no solution.
Citizens vote for a mayor and his team of Government to find solutions to problems or deficiencies. If you are not competent, in fighting for the interests of the citizens, and fail to put an end to all these scams and sloppiness, then you clearly show they are not worthy to be the spokesmen of the people, and have not achieved anything from a position of high responsibility such as yours. Thank goodness that every four years democracy gives us the possibility of having a cleanup! Let us not forget that in Camposol there are many votes!!
The Mazarrón Council should take legal actions against Masa, and that a judge oblige this “ghost” company to comply with their obligations once and for all. The people of Camposol still hope that someday this Government team will decide to act, and that it will stop trying to deceive them with smokescreens. The question that everyone is asking is, “who is worse in all of this Masa or the Mazarron Council?”

El escándalo de Camposol
En Mazarrón se encuentra una de las mas grandes e importantes urbanizaciones de España, adonde viven miles de personas extranjeras durante todo el año.
Camposol es un desarrollo urbanístico de varios miles de viviendas, el cual debía ser en su día, uno de los mas modernos y agradables de la península española. Pero actualmente es la vergüenza del municipio de Mazarrón, y nuestro alcalde tiene mucho que ver en todo esto… Camposol fue un proyecto iniciado bajo la legislatura del PSOE hace mas de una década, muchos años antes de que el gobierno del Sr. Blaya esté al mando. Desde que el Partido Popular gobierna el municipio, no hicieron nada para asegurarse de que la empresa constructora Masa acabe con las obras de la urbanización.
La mayor parte de los ciudadanos que residen en aquella zona están indignados de verse obligados a enfrentarse a tanta indiferencia de parte del ayuntamiento de Mazarrón, quien cobra impuestos importantes, pero no da servicios ningunos. Muchos extranjeros vieron en Camposol el sitio ideal para que su sueño de venir a vivir a España se haga realidad. Sueño que muy pronto se transformó en pesadilla.
Desde un primer momento, Masa está construyendo las casas con prisas y malamente, lo que provoca, por ejemplo, fisuras importantes en las paredes de muchas viviendas. Construir sobre un suelo no estable puede provocar el hundimiento de las viviendas, cosa que ocurrió en varias ocasiones. ¡La pasividad de los sucesivos equipos de gobierno ha dado su resultado! Desde un primer momento dejaron que la empresa Masa construya las viviendas sin que las infraestructuras básicas estén acabadas. Cuando no hay normas, cada uno hace lo que le da la gana.
Cuando ya es demasiado tarde, nadie quiere hacerse responsable… ¡Que patético! ¿La ley no obliga a que los ingenieros del ayuntamiento controlen la seguridad y la calidad de las obras realizadas? Lo único que hace el Sr. Blaya es reunirse de vecen cuando con la asociación de vecinos de Camposol para charlar un rato, tomarse un aperitivo, y ya está… ¡Los problemas importantes no se resuelven! Parece ser que el supuesto enfrentamiento entre Masa y nuestro ayuntamiento no tiene solución.
Los ciudadanos votan a un alcalde y a su equipo de gobierno para que encuentren soluciones a graves problemas o deficiencias. Si no son competentes, si no luchan por los intereses de los ciudadanos, y que no consiguen poner fin a todas estas estafas y chapuzas, entonces nos demuestran claramente que no valen para ser los portavoces del pueblo, y que no pintan nada en puestos de alta responsabilidad como son los suyos. ¡Menos mal que cada cuatro años la democracia nos da la posibilidad de hacer limpieza general! No olvidemos que Camposol son muchos votos.
El ayuntamiento de Mazarrón debería tomar acciones legales contra Masa, y que un juez obligue a esta empresa “fantasma” a cumplir con sus obligaciones de una vez por todas. Los vecinos de Camposol siguen teniendo la esperanza de que algún día el equipo de gobierno decida actuar, y que dejará de intentar venderles una cortina de humo. La pregunta que se hacen todos es : ¿Quién es peor en todo esto? ¿Masa o el ayuntamiento de Mazarrón?

Having been unclaimed since the draw was made the CRA Xmas Hamper was due to be redrawn at 4pm today. At 12pm Mr Brian Tokely, from D Sector Camposol, called the CRA to claim his prize saying that he had only just seen the winning number in a shop window on B Commercial.

Mr & Mrs Tokely can be seen with their prize in the picture below. We hope they enjoy the 250 Euros worth of products in the Hamper.

The CRA has just received an email giving notice that another family have been given the sad news that their villa in Lorca is to be demolished on the 12th Jan 2010.

The villa is close to that of the Prior family, who had their villa demolished some time ago and now live in their garage, has full building licences granted by the local authority. The demolition order has been issued by the Almeria Regional Government as they say the villa was built illegally on rustica land.