Imagine reaching a Spanish airport for your flight home to Britain only to be told you cannot board, despite having lived legally in the UK for eight years and holding settled status. That is what happened to Nidia Webb after the UK’s digital immigration system linked her eVisa to her identical twin sister. 

Webb was left trying to resolve the problem from Spain, even though there was no question that she had the right to live in Britain. Her experience is a warning for British residents travelling abroad who rely on a digital immigration record to prove their right to return.

When the system gets it wrong

Webb discovered the problem when she tried to travel back to Britain. Her settled status was still valid, but the information attached to her eVisa did not correctly identify her. Instead, her record had become linked to her twin sister’s details. Home Office staff told Webb that this was a “known technical issue” affecting some twins.

The result was a problem that could not simply be explained away at the airport. The airline needed to establish that Webb had permission to enter the UK, while the digital system was presenting the wrong information. She spent hours trying to get the matter sorted before she was eventually allowed to travel.

Why this concerns British travellers

The UK’s move to eVisas means that many people no longer rely on a physical document to demonstrate their immigration status. Instead, their details are stored digitally and can be checked by carriers before they travel. That creates a potential problem if the information is incorrect.

Government guidance warns that a carrier may not allow a passenger to travel if their immigration status cannot be verified. For someone returning from Spain, that means a problem with a UK immigration record can stop the journey before the passenger even reaches Britain. The person may have every legal right to return, but the airline still needs to be able to confirm it.

Check before leaving Spain

British residents who rely on an eVisa should check their UKVI account before travelling. The passport they intend to use must be linked to the account, while their name, date of birth and immigration status should all be correct. This is particularly relevant for anyone who has recently renewed a passport or changed their personal details.

UKVI also has an online service for reporting errors with an eVisa. Checking before a trip gives travellers time to deal with an error while they are still at home. Discovering the same problem at a Spanish airport is a very different situation, particularly if the flight is due to leave within hours.

A known problem for some twins

Webb’s case is unusual because the error involved her identical twin, but the Home Office has confirmed that problems of this type are known to occur. The department said that more than 10 million people have successfully used eVisas and that most errors are resolved within 24 hours.

Webb’s experience nevertheless demonstrates the consequence when the digital record does not correctly match the person presenting their passport. She had not overstayed, her settled status had not expired and she had not lost her right to live in Britain, the system simply had the wrong person attached to her record.

Your right to return still needs to be visible

For British residents travelling between Spain and the UK, the warning is simple: check the digital record before travelling. Make sure the passport you will use is linked to the correct UKVI account and that the information displayed matches your identity. If something is wrong, report it before heading to the airport.

An eVisa is intended to make proving immigration status easier, but Webb’s experience shows what happens when the information behind it fails. You can have a completely valid right to live in Britain and still be left on the wrong side of the boarding gate if the system cannot prove it.

Bathers at Galua beach on La Manga received an unexpected wildlife moment on Saturday morning when a shortfin mako shark, known locally as a “marrajo”, swam close to the shore near the Hotel Servigroup Galua in the Cartagena area.

Curiosity spread quickly among people already in the water and on the sand. Several pulled out phones to film the animal as it moved through the shallows just off the popular Mediterranean stretch of the strip.

Jet ski helps keep the area clear

Concern that the shark might come any closer into the busy swimming zone led to a quick response. Lifeguards used a jet ski to gently coax the animal further out, marking a path towards deeper, open water. Footage captured during the episode shows the shark swimming while the jet ski approaches and directs it away from the bathing area.

No injuries or close encounters with people were reported, and the whole episode stayed calm, leaving many watching from the shoreline as the shark gradually headed offshore. Sightings this near the coast are uncommon for the species and quickly became one of the talking points of the morning on La Manga’s beaches.

Why a Mako shark might appear so close in

Shortfin makos are fast, open-ocean hunters that also use Mediterranean waters. They spend most of their time well offshore, so a visit this near a busy beach is occasional rather than routine. Experts say such appearances do not automatically mean the animal is hunting people; the species mainly targets fish and other marine life.

Globally the shortfin mako is listed as Endangered by the IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature), with even greater pressure recorded in the Mediterranean.

Stay calm if you spot one

Beach safety advice in these situations is straightforward: keep calm, leave the water without sudden movements, and alert lifeguards, emergency services or Protección Civil straight away. Avoid approaching the animal or trying to interact with it.

Galua Beach has seen its share of busy summer activity, including recent rescues linked to currents and flag warnings in the wider La Manga area. For context on local beach rules and earlier incidents, see Euro Weekly News coverage of Cartagena’s red-flag rescues at Galua and nearby beaches and an earlier offshore mako report from further along the coast at Almuñecar.

Saturday’s visitor left without drama, giving holidaymakers and locals a rare close look at one of the ocean’s quicker predators before it returned to deeper water.

A dream trip to Málaga quickly turned into a holiday memory two British tourists said they would rather forget after an unexpected encounter left them questioning one of Spain’s most controversial traditions.

They had travelled to the city during the week of the Feria de Málaga, but something they witnessed during their stay left them deeply upset and changed their experience of the celebrations. They had deliberately avoided the part of the festivities they knew they would not want to see. They did not expect to come face to face with its aftermath.

The sight they never wanted to see

David, 58, was in the city with his wife when they encountered the results of the bullfights at La Malagueta. The pair had no intention of attending a bullfight and normally avoid bullrings because they do not support the practice. Speaking to Euro Weekly News, David explained:

“We purposely avoid going to bullrings. It’s something that we do not support and do not wish to see, torturing an animal is barbaric.” The experience nevertheless brought them into contact with what happens after a corrida, when the dead bulls are removed from the arena.

That sight would stay with them for the rest of their visit, overshadowing what had otherwise been a holiday spent exploring Málaga and enjoying their time in the city. What should have been memories of sightseeing, discovering the area and experiencing Spanish culture were instead accompanied by an image they found deeply upsetting.

A tradition built into Málaga’s history

Bullfighting has been part of Spanish culture for centuries, particularly in Andalucía, where it remains closely linked to local traditions and celebrations. A traditional corrida follows a strict structure, with matadors, picadors and banderilleros carrying out different roles. Supporters regard the event as an art and cultural tradition with its own rules, techniques, costumes and rituals.

The fighting bulls are also bred specifically for the ring, with specialist ganaderías maintaining bloodlines developed over generations. In Málaga, that history is embodied by La Malagueta. The bullring opened in 1876 and celebrated its 150th anniversary this year. The 2026 Bullfighting Fair ran from August 8 to 22, forming part of the city’s Feria programme.

The anniversary included a special bullfight on August 20, broadcast live by Canal Sur, with Morante, Diego Urdiales and Fortes appearing at the historic venue. Bullfighting remains firmly connected to Málaga’s cultural calendar, despite the arguments surrounding it.

Why the tradition remains controversial

The central objection from animal welfare campaigners is what happens to the bull. During a traditional corrida, the animal is injured during the different stages of the fight before the matador kills it. Opponents argue that deliberately causing pain and killing an animal for entertainment cannot be justified by calling the practice a cultural tradition.

Supporters disagree. They argue that bullfighting is an important part of Spanish heritage and that removing it would mean losing a tradition that has been passed down through generations. The dispute has also entered Spanish politics. In 2024, the Culture Ministry abolished the country’s national bullfighting award, a decision that was welcomed by opponents but criticised by supporters.

The arguments have also extended to children, with campaigners questioning whether youngsters should be exposed to such an event involving the killing of an animal. That concern was echoed by David’s wife after what she saw in Málaga.

“Seeing it really shocked me, the fact that they drag them out for all to see, it’s not even covered by a tarp or blanket. Imagine if a child saw it!” Her objection was not to something she had watched inside the bullring. She had deliberately avoided doing that. Instead, it was the visibility of what happened afterwards that disturbed her.

Most Spaniards do not support bullfighting

Opposition to bullfighting is not limited to foreign tourists, a Fundación BBVA study published in 2025 found that 77 per cent of Spaniards disapproved of bullfighting. The research also found strong opposition to the use of animals in entertainment. Support remains stronger in areas where bullfighting has a long cultural history, and La Malagueta continues to attract spectators.

This year’s anniversary programme included several major events, including the return of Victorino Martín bulls to Málaga after 12 years. This years Feria also demonstrated that there is still a paying audience for the spectacle, despite the national figures showing that most Spaniards now disapprove of it. The disagreement is therefore not simply between people who understand Spanish culture and people who do not. It is a dispute within Spain itself.

“It broke my heart”

For David’s wife, seeing the animals being taken away made the reality of bullfighting impossible to ignore. She later described just how strongly she had reacted to the sight. “It broke my heart and made my tummy turn.”

The encounter left a lasting mark on their holiday. They had gone to Málaga to enjoy the city and everything it had to offer, but the sight at La Malagueta became an experience they could not simply put behind them and move on from. Instead, it became one of the memories they would take home from their trip, and not one they had expected or wanted to make.

Their experience also shows the difference between seeing bullfighting presented as a cultural tradition and seeing its consequences directly. For those who support it, the dead bulls are part of a centuries-old practice that remains legal and culturally significant. For David and his wife, seeing them removed from La Malagueta turned that tradition into something far more difficult to accept.

A holiday memory they won’t forget

The Feria continues to celebrate bullfighting alongside Málaga’s music, dancing, food and other traditions, while the figures show that most Spaniards no longer support the practice. For David and his wife, however, the issue is no longer something they had simply heard about or chosen to avoid.

They saw the aftermath themselves, and it became an upsetting part of a holiday that had otherwise been about discovering Málaga and enjoying their time in Spain. The bullring may be 150 years old, but the argument over whether bullfighting still belongs in modern Spain is far from settled.