The Yaiza government group has denied that the motorhome owners who were evicted from Papagayo on Thursday night had permission from the Council to stay overnight where they were doing so, although it has denied that the order to intervene came from the City Council or the Police Headquarters. According to what they told La Voz, it was the agents themselves, who went to the area around 9:15 p.m., who decided to act after verifying several breaches of the measures against Covid.
In this regard, they explain that the police report describes "the presence of motorhomes and cars in the parking areas of Playa Mujeres, Playa del Congrio and Playa de Papagayo, many of them gathered in L or U formation, preventing free circulation".
In this regard, the City Council indicates that what was agreed last year with the representatives of motorhome owners was "the use, for a maximum of 72 hours, of the parking lot in the Papagayo camping area, but in no case of the parking lot of the referenced beaches." Thus, they deny that they had given a "verbal authorization", as some of those affected claimed.
"It was agreed at the time only the camping parking lot to exercise greater control and preserve the area clean due to the use of chemical toilets," they have transferred from the City Council, stating that "the only permitted camping area in Los Ajaches is the specific one of the Papagayo campsite, which today remains closed by its manager, the Cabildo de Lanzarote."
In addition, from the City Council they affirm that the Local Police officers who intervened "verified the lack of use of masks, meetings of more than four people and the lack of interpersonal distance". Therefore, "to avoid the continuation of this situation and given the high number of people", it is stated that "the agents asked the caravaners to leave the Natural Monument of Los Ajaches and park outside of it".
Despite this, they affirm that "four caravans ignored the warnings" and that, therefore, "there are proposed sanctions for those responsible".
People "urinating and defecating" less than 20 meters from homes
On the other hand, the president of the community of owners of the urbanization that borders the natural park of Los Ajaches addressed La Voz to complain about the presence of motorhomes, after seeing "a considerable amount" of vehicles the morning after the eviction, "staying overnight" next to and "in the same park".
"With my own eyes I have seen people urinating and defecating less than 20 meters from our homes", denounced this man, who feared "a call effect" that ends with "the degradation of this park".
"If this is considered quality tourism, let God come and see it", added the president of the community of owners, who also expressed the "damage" to the residents, "who have invested in properties with a high cost, in a quiet area so that it becomes an illegal campsite within a natural park due to the neglect of the authorities".