AND HERE IS THE NEWS…
….a light look at the latest local news with Caroline Manson
12metre airship in the skies
Residents of Salses-le-Chateau are used to seeing helicopters, planes and other aircraft in the air due to their proximity to the airport, but last week at around 5pm a huge airship was seen, at low altitude. It turned out to be an enormous drone, remotely piloted, inflated with helium and capable of flying at around 15kmh between 20 – 30 metres above sea level. This machine is a new device operated by a company called Teréga and is launched to carry out checks on gas pipelines which run through our department – checks which were previously carried out by helicopters. The flight last week was a test and 6 other flights are planned during 2026.
New ‘Mediterranean Episode’ brings more rain
It is only a couple of weeks since the last heavy rains hit the region but this weekend yet another ‘Orange Alert’ is in place. This time between 200mm and 400mm of rain is predicted (the equivalent of six months of rain in just a few days) and 2 metres of snow could fall up in the mountains. Residents are advised to take care while driving as there is a high risk of flooding.
Drugs found in ‘empty’ van
Customs officers at Le Boulou péage were carrying out random vehicle checks when they came across a van, registered in Rumania and driven by 2 Romanian nationals. The driver stated that he was making the trip from Spain to Germany without transporting any goods. The officers decided to check the van anyway and discovered only a dozen used tyres in the back, however they then discovered a concealed trap door in the roof and found dozens of heat-sealed plastic bags containing cannabis herb. The total weight of the goods seized amounted to 88 kilos. The driver was sentenced to 3 years in prison, the passenger was sentenced to 30 months in prison, and both were banned from French territory for ten years.
Body of missing diver found
The lifeless body of the diver who disappeared in the Font Estramar chasm (near Salses-le-Chateau) has finally been found. The 49 year old experienced diver, who lived in Port-Vendres and taught mathematics at Elne College had been missing since last Sunday when he went to explore the famous grotto. Search and rescue operations were extremely difficult due to the depth of the water but they continued in the hopes that he had found a pocket of air, but sadly this was not the case. The body was discovered at a depth of 125metres and an extraction procedure is being put in place to recover it when the weather permits.
High speed chase on the AP7
At around 3am on Wednesday morning the Girona Regional Traffic brigade alerted the police at La Jonquera of a suspicious vehicle. The Catalan police spotted the vehicle on the AP7 and tried to order the driver to stop but they sped off at speeds of up to 215kmh endangering themselves and other road users. Several patrol vehicles then chased the car before it finally left the motorway and finished up in a dead end in the car park of a hotel in Riudellots de la Selva south of Girona. The suspects attempted to flee on foot but were quickly arrested, not without a fight. The Mossos searched the car and discovered 60 kilos of cannabis resin, crudely hidden in fake Iphone 17 packages. The drugs had a value of nearly 20,000 euros. The two defendants, aged 21 and 23 and with no previous criminal record are being prosecuted.
Child injured at Pia Christmas Garden
A 9 year old boy was enjoying skating on the ice rink at Pia Christmas Garden when he fell, put his hands down on the ice and was run over by another child’s ice skate. Several tendons were cut and it is uncertain if he will regain the full use of his hand. The parents are trying to claim against the owners of the temporary ice rink but they state that it was not their fault, just a simple unavoidable accident. They are also trying to claim against the towns’ civic insurance policy but have not yet had a satisfactory reply – the Mayor himself says he considers it was just an accident as his own daughter broke her arm there last year. They have now taken to social media in an attempt to get a response.
And finally ……
When a suspicious gassy smell was reported in the school at Villeneuve-la-Rivière all the pupils were evacuated and firefighters were called to investigate. Around 15 people arrived but the gas detector reported nothing untoward, so the rescuers directed their search outside the school grounds. In a neighbouring house they discovered the occupant working in the kitchen, making …. Black garlic. A fermentation process lasting several weeks is necessary to brown the bulbs; this can be done in a rice-cooker type machine but when the lid is opened a powerful smoke can be released. Mystery solved.