The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 17 August 2022

by Mike Evans

Good day to you all. As the whole country battles wildfires and high temperatures coupled with high winds, the Algarve whilst not experiencing the huge fires that are raging in the North continues to be at High risk according to the IPMA. As I write 6 municipalities in the Algarve are rated as “high risk” The are Aljezur , Lagos, Silves, Loulé, São Brás de Alportel and Tavira. It is encumbered by us all to make sure we adhere to the rules surrounding the prevention of fires.

The GNR recalls that, at any time of the year, it is forbidden to burn cut and piled woods and any type of forest or agricultural leftovers, as well as burning without asking for authorization or making prior communication. The GNR indicated that this year it has so far arrested 68 people for forest fire, 16 more than in the whole of last year (when it made a total of 52 arrests).

Man arrested for stealing carob and illegal driving 

A 34-year-old man was arrested in the municipality of Tavira for stealing from Alfarroba and driving without a legal licence, the GNR reported this Tuesday .

Following a report of carob theft, the military went to the scene on Monday, having “intercepted the suspect at the moment he was starting to flee the property, in a vehicle, in possession of the stolen carob”, explained the GNR in a statement.

The investigations carried out also made it possible to verify that the man did not have a legal licence to drive. In the course of the action, eight sacks were seized, containing about 211 kilos of carob, which were delivered to the legitimate owner.

The man was arrested and charged, and the facts sent to the Judicial Court of Faro .

Robbers arrested in Spain are remanded in Custody

Two robbers who were arrested in Spain recently and are suspected of a number of crimes including robbing gas stations in the Algarve were remanded in custody in Spain this week.

The suspects, considered by the Spanish authorities as “very dangerous”, were heard by the judge of the Central Investigation Court, Joaquín Gadea, who decreed preventive detention for both detainees, Nélida Alves and Sidney Pereira, aged 40 and 42, respectively.

The suspects, dubbed by the press as the Portuguese ‘Bonnie &Clyde’, will be the perpetrators of armed robberies at service stations in Spain and Portugal in recent weeks as well as suspicion of other more serious crimes.

The suspects allegedly robbed service stations in the Algarve, before crossing the border into Spain in Ayamonte, at the end of July, and in Spain the violent attacks on service stations in Seville, Badajoz and Toledo continued, always using the same ‘modus operandi’. ‘ of intimidating employees with a gun and a knife.

They are also suspected of having stolen a vehicle in the Madrid neighbourhood of Moncloa. They were detained in Zamora after a citizen’s complaint, when he recognized the suspects in a shopping centre, alerted the Guardia Civil at the end of Saturday.

They were arrested while having dinner inside the stolen vehicle, having been surrounded at that time by agents of the National Police, who detained them without offering resistance, as explained today in a press conference by the chief of police in Zamora, Guillermo Vara.

Navy rescues crew member with symptoms of heart attack

On Monday, August 15, the Portuguese Navy rescued a member of the crew who was aboard the ship Fri Tide, off Portimão , who had symptoms of a heart attack , the security force announced.

This rescue took place through the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre of Lisbon, in conjunction with the Captaincy of the Port of Portimão and the Guidance Centre for Urgent Patients Mar. The information was received at 18:57 and the urgent need to evacuate the victim was confirmed.

The victim was later transported by ambulance to a hospital.

Albufeira Municipality honours young people on International Youth Day

To mark International Youth Day, the municipality of Albufeira has a tradition of organising a program that aims to distinguish the merit of young people from Albufeira in areas such as Sports, Citizenship, Arts, Culture and the Academic World.

This year, the municipality celebrated the date again with a ceremony that brought together 62 young people and their families in the Salão Nobre dos Paços do Concelho, followed by a social lunch and a boat trip along the coast of Albufeira.

Sixty-two young people from the Albufeira Poente, Ferreiras and Vale Pedras School Groups and various sports, cultural and social clubs and associations in the county, who stood out in different areas, were praised for their success, but also for their commitment and altruism dedicated to causes social and humanitarian.

In his speech, José Carlos Rolo, Mayor of Albufeira, underlined the importance of “fostering solidarity between generations (…) to guarantee a more inclusive and sustainable society”.Among many reflections, the president urged young people to be “ambassadors of society”, through their active participation in the sports, cultural, social and school associations they attend, getting involved in voluntary initiatives and participating in civic and political life. .

Isabel Frade, representing the Portuguese Institute for Youth and Sports ( IPDJ ), reiterated “the difficult role that youth face”, stressing that the IPDJ “is always open to welcome and support the ideas and projects presented by the young people”.

All young people received a piece alluding to the moment and a diploma of recognition of merit, which were delivered by the president, vice president and councillors Cláudia Guedelha, Ricardo Clemente, Abel Zua and Desidério Silva.

Teenager dies in Algarve boat crash

A collision between two vessels in the Ria Formosa, in Olhão, last Friday night, injured two people and led to the death of one girl. The captain of the port of Olhão, André Cardoso de Morais, clarified that the collision involved “a maritime taxi” and “a pleasure boat” and only confirmed that the victims were transported to the hospital with injuries.

According to Jornal de Notícias, the person who was seriously injured was a 17 year old girl who then later died. The same source added that “the collision and the circumstances in which the accident took place are being investigated by the Maritime Police”, who went to the accident site and accompanied the transport of the victims to the Olhão pier, aboard another private vessel”.

Road safety campaign launched today

The GNR, the PSP and the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) launched on 16 August the campaign “Travel without haste” to raise awareness regarding the dangers of speeding.The campaign, which will take place between 16 and 23 August, is part of the National Inspection Plan for 2022, according to a statement from the three law enforcement agencies, which stress that speeding is one of the main causes of accidents on the roads and accounts for more than 50 percent of recorded infractions.

For example, “in run over accidents, the probability of death increases with the speed of the vehicle. If a vehicle is going at 30 km/h, the probability of death is 10%. Increasing the speed to 50 km/h, the probability becomes 80%”, reads the statement.

The “Travel without haste” campaign will include awareness-raising actions by ANSR in mainland Portugal and in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, as well as control speed operations by the GNR and PSP, with special focus on the busiest roads of the country.

Thank you for reading this report and watch out each week for the latest updates to the Algarve.

 

The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 10 August 2022

by Mike Evans

Good morning and we start this report with an update on the latest news that shows Tourist occupancy levels in the Algarve have successfully returned to pre-Covid-19 levels, demonstrating a full recovery in the market.The occupancy per quarter of tourist resorts in the Algarve was, in July, 87.7%, 4.3 percentage points more than the value reached in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The Algarve surpassed, in July, the numbers of 2019, the best tourist year ever. Thus, the sector continues to recover, after two terrible years, due to the pandemic”, highlighted the Association of Hotels and Tourist Enterprises of the Algarve (AHETA).

With more tourists it does present other issues which we have to face up to, namely the lack of Water. Whilst not just related to the Algarve a report just published shows that in the last 20 years, only six rain seasons were considered normal, in relation to the period 1970-2000, indicates the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA), which warns of longer and more comprehensive droughts. The whole of the mainland is currently in a drought situation and we all can play our part in keeping the water running for everyone.

More news from the Algarve this past week.

The Sardinha Festival , in Portimão, broke the attendance record with 110 thousand entries between the 3rd and 7th of August, in the riverside area, announced the municipality .With a daily average of over 20,000 people in the riverside area, the most popular night of the event was on August 7, with David Carreira performing for over 30,000 people.

In all, more than three tons of roasted sardines were consumed, in addition to another ton of this fish that was served free of charge following the recreation of the traditional canasta unloading, which took place on 2 August.

This year, the venue had new living and leisure spaces that were more “Instagrammable” and shared experiences, such as the lounge space and places inspired by sardines.

Sardine Festival food scraps turned into fertiliser The leftover food from the Sardine Festival ,will be transformed into 100% natural fertiliser, announced the Municipal Water and Waste Company of that locality.

On the festival grounds is the space dedicated to the dissemination of the project, which was visited by the Secretary of State for the Sea and Fisheries, Teresa Coelho, in addition to hundreds of visitors.

Those who passed by had the opportunity to learn about the process of collecting food scraps, check if it was in the pilot area and, in case of a positive answer, lift their seven-liter bucket.

This project aims to “raise awareness of the importance of reducing environmental impacts, with emphasis on the collection of food scraps, which will be diverted from the landfill and transformed into natural fertiliser”, according to the statement. The operation covers 13,836 accommodation units, equivalent to 19,353 inhabitants (35 percent of the population) and started with restaurants, schools, institutions and the residential population, through the activation of 144 proximity containers.

Carob Thefts on the rise, The GNR seized a total of 434 kilos of carob and identified eight people for theft of that dried fruit, in Silves and São Bartolomeu de Messines .

In a statement, the GNR said that the seizure took place in two different situations, the first of which took place on Friday, August 5, in Silves, following a complaint about a carob theft.

The military “moved quickly” to the site, where they identified four people, two men aged 17 and 55 and two women aged 15 and 56, having seized 257 kilos of carob, harvested without authorization from the landowner.

The second situation occurred on Saturday, August 6, in São Bartolomeu de Messines, during an inspection of a vehicle, which the GNR found to have “a large amount of carob” inside.

As the suspects were unable to justify their origin, the military seized 177 kilos of carob and identified the four people who were in the vehicle: three men aged 19, 30 and 46 and a 43-year-old woman. In both situations, the GNR seized the suspects’ vehicles.

Earlier in the week about 15 thousand kilos of carob was seized in Altura. The seizure was carried out by the Faro Territorial Command, through the Castro Marim Territorial Post, following a complaint “that reported a large amount of carob on land in the parish of Altura”.

“The Guard’s soldiers went to the place where they found that a man had stored around 15,000 kilos of carob beans, worth an estimated 28,000 euros”, says the GNR. The suspect “was unable to justify its origin and the context of its harvest”, and the carob was seized “as a precautionary measure”.

The 44-year-old man was identified and the facts were referred to the Vila Real de Santo António Judi

Body of man found off Arrifana beach- On Sunday afternoon, August 7, the Maritime Police collected the body of a man found floating off Arrifana beach , in the municipality of Aljezur , without knowing the causes for the occurrence, informed the National Maritime Authority.

“This afternoon the body of a man was detected, floating about two nautical miles (approximately four kilometres) from Arrifana beach, in the municipality of Aljezur, the causes that may have been at the origin of this occurrence are not known. ”, the maritime authority said in a statement.

Following the alert received at about 16:45, through the crew of a recreational boat, for the presence of a body floating in the water, “the crew of the Sagres Lifeguard Station and elements of the local command of the Maritime Police of Lagos”, explained the note.

“Elements of the Maritime Police and the crew of the Lifeguard Station recovered and transported the victim’s body to the port of Arrifana”, where “the local health delegate awaited, who declared death on the spot”, added the maritime authority.

After contacting the Public Ministry, the body was later transported by the Volunteer Firefighters of Aljezur to the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences in Portimão.

The Chamber launched a campaign against animal abandonment This month, the Municipality of Olhão launched a new awareness campaign against the abandonment of pets during holidays, the municipality announced .

“In fact, animal abandonment occurs throughout the year, and not just in the summer, but it is during this period that there is a higher incidence. It seemed to us that it was the ideal time to convey the message that abandoning our animals is never the solution and is, moreover, punishable by law”, says the councillor responsible for Animal Welfare, Ricardo Calé.

With appeals such as “don’t abandon those who have always been by your side”, or “adopting a life is for life”, the municipality intends to raise awareness while trying to face the growing increase in animals arriving, either at the municipal kennel, or under the protection of the council’s associations.

Ricardo Calé recalls that “we have been developing in recent months, on several fronts, and in close collaboration with the associations of the municipality, a work in favour of animal welfare, where we seek to counteract the main factors that contribute to the increase in animals. in the shelters”.

In addition to the campaign that has just been launched, the mayor recalls the launch of the construction of the new Official Animal Collection Centre, a work that has been going on for over 20 years.

Regarding sterilisation, a protocol was recently signed between the municipalities of Olhão and Tavira, which aims to share logistical and human resources, in order to enhance the conditions for the mass sterilisation of animals.

The Municipal Commission for the Promotion of the Rights of the Elderly of Faro, which aims to represent the population of those over 65 years old, was approved at a meeting of the Municipal Assembly. In a statement, the municipality said that the body will have “consultative functions, of appreciation and analysis of problems, as well as of presenting proposals that can compete to guarantee information, defence of rights, security, dignity, quality of life and well-being”. of seniors in the county”.

Cited in the statement, the mayor, Rogério Bacalhau, says that the creation of the commission, which will operate at the Chamber’s premises, “will allow the municipality to be a pioneer in terms of public policies in the area of ​​ageing”.

According to the mayor, “the signs of problematic cases are now centralised in a single entity, in order to improve the perception of the realities in terms of the needs of the elderly population of the municipality”.

The new commission “holds responsibility” on the municipality for this segment of the population, also leading it to “assume a position of influence with the central power, enabling changes in public and legislative policies that can positively contribute to strengthening the rights of the elderly. in a vulnerable situation”.

The Municipal Commission for the Promotion of the Rights of the Elderly of Faro will assume itself “as the entity that will guarantee the specific referral related to the problems of alleged abuse, neglect and dementia conditions for the elderly”.

Among the objectives of the new body is the monitoring of cases reported by the Support Office for the Elderly (GAI) of the municipality, the signalling of situations of alleged risk to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the awareness of the general community regarding the rights of the elderly and the promotion of initiatives aimed at their social inclusion.

An email address will be created for anyone who wants to get in touch with the commission, and interested parties may also address the Department of Social Development and Education to present situations that fall within this scope.

All processes and contacts will be confidential, namely the identity of whoever reports a case, concludes the municipality.

That is the end of this report, we hope you have a safe and enjoyable week ahead.

 

 Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 3 August 2022

Good morning and we start this report with the news that the weather in the Algarve continues to be very warm and intense. Whilst the region is used to warm and sunny summers the intensity of the heat currently is something many people who have lived here for many years and those native to the Algarve have not seen for years. The Region also saw one of the largest fires for some time last week in the São Marcos da Serra area of Silves municipality. 574 firefighters with 201 vehicles and 6 air assets were eventually able to bring it under control but not before it caused the destruction of at least one second home and a haystack but did not cause any damage to first homes.

Now a look at some of the other news from the region in the past week. 

PSP detains man and seizes almost 1,500 doses of drugs 

The Portimão Division of the PSP detained a man and identified a woman on suspicion of drug trafficking and seized 1,459 doses of narcotics during a patrolling action, the Faro police command announced today.

The two suspects, aged 21 and 20, were intercepted after police officers “detected movements that indicated the imminence of a drug transaction, something confirmed after a few minutes of observation,” the PSP said in a statement.

During the operation, 1,243 doses of heroin, 201 of cocaine and 15 of hashish were seized, as well as various weighing and packaging material for narcotic products. 525 euros were also seized, money allegedly “from illicit activity”.

The 21-year-old detainee was heard in the first judicial interrogation, and the coercive measure of terms of identity and residence was applied to him.

Man identified who threatened neighbour with firearm in Alcoutim 

In a statement, the GNR stated that, on 30^th July, it seized an illegal firearm in Alcoutim and identified the owner.

The same source reports that, following a complaint that reported threats between neighbours using a firearm, the military went to the scene, where they found that a 60-year-old man, after an argument, wielded a gun. long fire and threatened the victim, another 64-year-old man.

In the course of police investigations, it was possible to find the weapon hidden among bushes, on agricultural land, nearby. The weapon was seized, and the GNR found that it was not registered or manifested.

The 60-year-old man was identified and the facts sent to the Vila Real de Santo António Judicial Court, concludes the same source”.

Recreation of the atmosphere of the fish market whets the appetite for the Sardine Festival 

To mark the premiere of the Sardine Festival, which will take place in the riverside area of ​​Portimão between August 03 and 07, the municipality of Portimão promotes, from 09:00 on next Tuesday, August 02, the recreation of the traditional to the sardine canasta on the city pier.

The fish will later be made into a popular sardine, ending this day with a sunset with music from other times, by the Lucky Duckies.

On this occasion, the hustle and bustle of the old fish market will be evoked, with the mooring of the trawler “Arrifana” and the envoy “Moira” and the participation of fifty extras, who will play the role of fishermen, stevedores, buyers, salting women. and restless children, who gave life and color to the pier, broadcast online on the municipality’s Facebook page.

Some of the main activities that took place over time at the siege auction will be portrayed, from the arrival of the boats loaded with sardines, when the siren calling the buyers was heard, followed by the old “by mouth” auction. , which consisted of a sung litany of numbers in descending order and that the seller only interrupted when the buyer finished with the purchase order “Chui!”.

After the auction, the fish will be unloaded, a kind of choreography perfected by experience, in which the men would fly full baskets from the deck of the trawler to the worker who received them on the wall, immediately pouring the fish into boxes to be chilled. or salted, before heading to your destination, packed in the transport of the time, including bicycles, vans, and other vehicles.

In the course of all this activity, one or two sardines were diverted by the kids who sieved around, generating a lot of noise, while the company fish or a small teacup of sardines was sold here and there. Around lunchtime, the stoves started to smoke, roasting the sardines to feed many of these auctioneers.

The fresh sardines unloaded in this historical recreation will later be used in a popular sardine dish taking place at the festival grounds, between 1:30 pm and 4:30 pm, and for which interested parties must collect the respective tasting voucher at the venue, in order to free use of two sardines grilled on bread and a drink at the indicated establishment.

These are the activities chosen as the theme for another edition of the Sardine Festival, recently considered the best summer gastronomic event held in Europe by the well-known travel site Big 7 Travel.

Lagos hospital receives fake bomb threat 

The Terras do Infante Hospital Unit, in Lagos, received yesterday, July 31, a false threat of an explosive device, announced the Board of Directors of the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve (CHUA).

The bomb threat took place shortly before 21:00 and security protocols were activated.

According to the statement, hospital activity “proceeded with normality” and the Board of Directors thanked “the competent authorities, our employees and hospitalised patients for the calm and care taken in the necessary operations in these situations”.

Shared bicycle project announced at the Cidades e Vilas Forum 

The experience of Faro, which since June 1st has 75 bicycles (25 electric and 50 conventional), in the city and parish of Montenegro, was shared at the II Forum Cidades e Vilas – Sharing Experiences of the Systems, which took place on the 20th of July, in Lisbon.

“We were at this event, organised by the Portuguese Federation of Cycling Tourism and Bicycle Users (FPCUB), seeking to highlight the success and importance of this pilot project, the first to be implemented in an Algarve city”, explains Sophie Matias, councillor for the City Council. Municipality of Faro, who represented the municipality at the event.

“We made an investment of close to 200,000 euros (precisely 199,050 euros, plus VAT), which allows everyone who lives or visits our city to have a means of transport that is more environmentally friendly and provides physical well-being”, added the mayor and concluded: “We already had scooters and we are making considerable investments in creating clickable infrastructure, investing in road safety strategies, because we effectively want to be a capital of the future, which is concerned with lowering pollution levels. and maintain a relationship with ecosystems that brings progress and attractiveness”.

This was, in fact, one of the key points of the initiative, in which several municipalities and entities were present. The presentation of good practices was one of the main objectives, as well as the debate on topics such as intramodality applied to ticketing and the use of these means of transport; the sustainability of these systems the contribution they make to the sustainability of mobility in cities; maximising the possibilities of maintaining stations with an adequate level of supply and the business model of bicycle-sharing systems.

“Our experience, although it has a short period of duration, is already a success, with very significant levels of use and very positive feedback from users”, stressed Sophie Matias, reinforcing that “Faro has great potential to this level, and we will do everything in our power to continue to be a pioneer in the implementation of programs and initiatives related to smooth and sustainable mobility”.

‘Arrebita’ once again takes the best chefs in the country to the streets of Portimão

Arrebita – Local Gastronomy Festival is preparing to return to Portimão in what will be the 3rd edition of the gastronomic festival that has already become a summer classic in the South.

On the weekend of August 20th and 21st, more than 25 chefs from different parts of the country will occupy the main shopping streets of the historic centre of the city and serve delicious street food dishes, in an event with the support of Portimão City Council.

With free admission, Arrebita Portimão will have a strong cast of chefs, including established names and young cooks, prepared to surprise all visitors with new flavours and refreshing and unusual proposals, including savoury dishes and desserts with a single cost of six euros. This will be the case, for example, of the “starred” Louis Anjos (Al Sud, Lagos) and André Cruz (Feitoria, Lisbon), both at the helm of Michelin-starred spaces.

In a festival that celebrates the best that Portuguese gastronomy has to offer, Algarve cuisine naturally deserves a prominent place, with the presence of chefs Wilson Costa (Amendoeira Clubhouse, Alcantarilha), João Viegas (Atlântico, Vila Vita Parc Resort, Porches), João Marreiros (Loki, Portimão), Alípio Branco (Casa Velha, Quinta do Lago, Almancil), Nuno Martins (Numa, Portimão) and João Dias (À Mesa, Tavira) – in addition to the aforementioned Louis Anjos, who is back at Arrebita Portimão after a successful foray last year.

Another highlight of this festival of gastronomy on the move is the presence of international chefs who chose Portugal to make their cuisine known. This is the case of Shay Ola, the creative mind of Queimado, in Costa da Caparica, or Alessandra Borsato, the young sous chef of the Lisbon restaurant Senhor Uva.

 

The Algarve Situation Report 27 July 2022

 

by Mike Evans

Good morning and we start this report with the good news that the big fire which started on Monday at 13.23 near Sao Marcos da Serra was finally extinguished after a long battle by up to 600 bombeiros and 204 land vehicles and at times up to 9 air support vehicles. Although there are reports that some houses were damaged it is good to hear that in the main it was brush land that was ignited. However, as a precaution the GNR were asked to evacuate  the inhabitants of several villages, namely Monte das Zorras, Alcarias, Novas, Corte Peral, Chaminé, Boião and Casas Velhas. The fire also led to the main road the IC1 and the A2 motorway being closed around the area for a time.

Carob thefts in the region double compared to 2021

 

The number of seizures of stolen carob in the Algarve has doubled compared to last year, with around eight tonnes of fruit having been seized in the region since January, according to GNR data .

The commercial value of the carob – an arroba (15 kilos) exceeds 40 euros, when four years ago it was 5 euros -, makes it the main target of thefts on agricultural properties in the region, with several seizures having already been recorded, despite the harvest usually taking place until September.

According to data from the GNR’s Faro territorial command , between January 1 and July 21, a total of 16 carob seizures were recorded in the Algarve – double compared to the same period in 2021 -, with five people being arrested and 39 identified. In the same period last year there were no arrests and only six people had been identified.

Also in that period, in 2021, the GNR had registered 20 reports of carob theft, a number that increased this year to 73.However, last year, around this time, the amount of carob seized (12 tonnes) exceeded the amount seized this year (eight).

According to the police, the increase in the number of complaints may be related “to the fact that the fruit ripened earlier, as well as to the existence of a greater awareness of the denunciation of this type of crime, also motivated by the increase in the price of product”.The most recent situation occurred last Friday and Saturday, when the GNR caught two people in the act and identified three others for theft of carob, in Silves, who had in their possession 340 kilos of stolen carob, in sacks.

The frequent thefts of carob, both from orchards and from warehouses, are making producers angry, and a demonstration was called for Friday, the 29th, in Loulé – where the largest extension of this rainfed crop is concentrated -, to demand the enactment of a law against their theft and trafficking.

Producers believe that the legislation proposed by a working group, which also included public entities, would give greater security to the sector, with the regulation of purchase and sale, through the obligation to register with the Institute for Financing of Agriculture and Fisheries (IFAP). The GNR has promised to be “particularly attentive to this criminal phenomenon”, seeking to “dissuade and repress the theft of this fruit”, by intensifying patrols along farms and access routes to establishments selling carob or storekeepers.

The seed of the carob tree is used in various industries, such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics or food – as an additive for puddings, baby food and ice cream stabilisers -, and also for the textile industry.

The carob pulp, which represents 90% of the fruit’s weight, is used for various sweets, such as cookies and cakes, liqueurs, syrup, bread and animal feed.

 Plane lands emergency in Faro due to suspected fire on board

 An Airbus A320 plane belonging to Easyjet had to make an emergency landing on Monday night  at Faro Airport, due to an alert in the cockpit due to a suspected fire in one of the engines. The engine was turned off and an emergency was declared from the aircraft. After landing, firefighters inspected the aircraft, which had no signs of fire,

The alert was given at 21.53, shortly after the plane had taken off for Glasgow , Scotland.

As reported by the District Relief Operations Command (CDOS) of Faro, a red alert was triggered – “total emergency with the airport’s emergency protocol having been activated. 34 vehicles and 80 operational vehicles were mobilised to the site.

The EasyJet plane landed safely and went to the hangar where technical checks were carried out. Having concluded that there was no reason to maintain the alert, the assets were demobilised and the alert was terminated at 22.17.

The 180  passengers were then redistributed to other flights.

PSD deputies demand Water Efficiency Plan to stop drought

 The PSD deputies elected by the Faro district met with the Association of Hotels and Tourist Enterprises of the Algarve (AHETA) earlier this week, following the measures announced by the Government that provide for a rationing of water use in the region, which faces a drought situation. The deputies called on the government to make good their promise to put in place the regional water plan.

“Contrary to what the Government has been communicating, the deputies are now aware that there was no agreement with business people in the region, nor were concrete measures taken, such as the definition of minimum consumption”, guarantee the Social Democrat parliamentarians. . They assert that there was, indeed, a conversation between the Portuguese Environment Agency, the Regional Directorate of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Algarve and AHETA in order to avoid excessive consumption at this time.

The position now taken by the Minister for the Environment and Climate Action “demonstrates, once again, the inability of this Executive to put into practice the Regional Water Efficiency Plan for the Algarve, presented in 2020, but which remains to be implemented. In the last two years, measures should have been implemented, valued at more than 60 million euros, which could have avoided this emergency situation, by reducing water consumption in the most varied sectors”.

Olhao Youth arrested for Violent theft against elderly people

After 3 months of investigation, yesterday the GNR arrested a 20 year old man for thefts and violent robberies of elderly people in the Olhão area.

The suspect chose victims living in isolated areas near Olhão, in the Algarve region.

The individual was arrested and is indicted for seven robberies, using violence, against the elderly, which mainly involved the theft of gold items and money, but also included the theft of non-precious metals and carob beans.

The young man will be presented to the Judicial Court of Faro, for sentencing.

100,000 expected at Sardine Festival

 Sardines will once again be the star of the show at the Portimão sardine festival, taking place this year between 3 and 7 August.

The Sardine Festival takes place in the riverside area of​​ Portimão, where five restaurants will be set up, offering a serving of five sardines, potato, bread and an Algarve salad, for €9.50.

In addition to the five restaurants of the associative movement, the festival has the involvement of several restaurants in the city.

“Each restaurant commits to serving sardines during the five days of the event, but the price is set by each one,” noted the source. “We hope to exceed 100,000 visitors, the number reached in the 2019 edition, to taste this highlight of the city, in a year of recovery after the two-year break”, a source from the Câmara de Portimão, the event’s organiser, told Lusa.

The event also includes exhibitors of handicrafts and other products, from sweets to local products, set up along the space between the old auction house and the Portimão Municipal Museum.