Steve Marshall says he has been hearing “disquieting stories” from La Cala, Mijas, including a reported attack on a man returning home at night.

According to the account he received, three youths wielding what were described as “bats” attacked and robbed the man close to Butibamba. Even after he handed over his money, the attackers allegedly stood on his arms and beat him black and blue, leaving him with a bloody gash to his head.

Marshall also refers to a robbery at the Galp garage, where Amazon collection boxes were reportedly vandalised. He says he was told that security cameras were operating, but questions their deterrent value.

“Why does this seem to be happening now?” he asks. “Were the same culprits who attacked the man walking home involved? Is it down to the pressures of the cost of living? I don’t know.”

Mijas Council has also announced plans for more than 150 surveillance cameras across the municipality as part of its efforts to improve public safety and crime prevention.

Where are the night patrols?

“What I do know is that there is little to no police presence at night,” Marshall says, adding that his own experience has been of seeing officers patrolling in the mornings.

“It is well documented that a physical police deterrent, patrolling our streets, not only reassures residents, it discourages crime,” he argues.

His concerns extend to a recent visit to the local police station in Las Lagunas. Arriving in the early afternoon, he says the station appeared closed, with its doors locked. An officer eventually allowed him and his wife inside after his wife explained that, because Marshall is disabled, waiting outside was not an option. He says they were initially told to return later.

As they left, the couple counted as many as 13 police cars parked nearby.

“Surely not all the police were having lunch at the same time?” he asks.

Marshall welcomes reports of increased funding for local police but believes residents deserve to see a visible presence on their streets. “We read a lot about the local police being given priority in funding and that is welcome news,” he says. “But my simple question is ‘where are they?’”

Mijas Council previously announced an increase in local police spending, taking its 2025 budget to almost €1.5 million.

Local elections are closing in fast on the Costa del Sol, and registry ends in December. Perhaps this is the time to make one’s voices heard.

A historic sugar factory on Granada province’s Costa Tropical is opening its doors to a ghostly mystery this Halloween, inviting visitors to explore its industrial past through a special guided experience.

The Fábrica del Pilar in Motril is hosting El fantasma de la Fábrica (The Ghost of the Factory), a seasonal attraction combining local history, storytelling and a spooky atmosphere. The event is part of Motril’s wider Halloween programme for 2026.

Running from October 28 to 31, the experience offers an unusual way for residents and visitors to discover one of the area’s most important industrial heritage sites.

Ghostly tours for Halloween

Guided tours are scheduled for 5pm and 6pm each day, with groups limited to 25 people per session. Advance booking is not required, making it a potential last-minute activity for families and anyone looking for something different to do over Halloween.

The story has been developed with the involvement of the guides and the municipal heritage department, using the factory’s historic surroundings to bring the mystery to life.

Although the ghost provides the Halloween theme, the real attraction is the chance to explore a site that played an important role in Motril’s industrial development.

Readers looking for more seasonal activities can also discover Halloween events across Spain, including celebrations that have become increasingly popular with British residents.

From sugar production to industrial heritage

The Fábrica Nuestra Señora del Pilar began operating in 1883 and became an important part of the sugar industry that once helped shape the local economy.

Production continued for more than a century before the factory closed in 1984. Its buildings and machinery now offer a glimpse into the working lives of the people who helped establish Motril as a centre of sugar production.

Visitors can learn more about the site’s past through the official history of the Fábrica del Pilar, published

Business owners across Spain are being handed a reminder of the country’s tough labour laws after a bar owner was ordered to pay €6,784 or reinstate a waiter who turned up drunk and walked out during a busy evening service

Waiter turned up drunk for evening shift

The waiter had worked at a bar in San Sebastian since July 2022, working split shifts that included an evening service from 8pm to midnight. On July 6, 2025, he arrived for work drunk. After his manager challenged him about his condition, the waiter said he would leave if he was considered unfit to work.

He changed his clothes and left, despite an attempt to stop him. His absence left colleagues short-handed during the dinner service. Management dismissed him a few days later, citing the incident as well as other alleged misconduct.

Colleague was left in tears

One of those incidents had happened just six days earlier. On June 30, the waiter hit a female colleague on the bottom with a cleaning cloth. The blow caused her enough pain to make her cry. He apologised, but she did not accept it. The company later included the incident in its reasons for dismissal and described it as sexual harassment.

Judges did not agree that sexual harassment had been proved, although they considered the behaviour inappropriate.

Court says dismissal went too far

A lower court initially backed the bar’s decision to dismiss him, however, the Basque Country’s High Court of Justice took a different view in September, finding that the employer had not proved the habitual drunkenness it had alleged.

One occasion of arriving drunk was not enough to establish a pattern, particularly as the waiter had no previous disciplinary sanctions during his roughly three years at the business.

Leaving his shift was also considered serious misconduct under the hospitality industry’s collective agreement in Gipuzkoa, but judges decided dismissal was too severe a punishment in the circumstances. The court therefore ruled that the dismissal was unfair.

Bar must choose between €6,784 or reinstatement

The business must now either reinstate the waiter and pay the wages he has lost, or pay him €6,784.39 in compensation.

The unusual case is a reminder that being fired and being found to have behaved badly are not necessarily the same thing under Spanish employment law. For the court, the issue was whether the employer had proved the allegations and whether dismissal was a proportionate response, not whether turning up drunk or hitting a colleague was acceptable.