AND HERE IS THE NEWS…

….a light look at the latest local news with Caroline Manson

Weapons and explosives discovered in house in Marquixanes

During a roadside check on Thursday evening police arrested a ‘visibly drunk’ man in his forties.  A gun and gunpowder were found in his vehicle, leading police to carry out a search of the driver’s home in Marquixanes.  In the house they discovered more weapons and explosives, which were removed from the property under the careful watch of firefighters standing ready with fire lances in case the explosives were triggered.  The most surprising thing (for me) about this story is the comment from the Mayor of the municipality who stated “I know him well, he’s quite calm.  He is not someone known as dangerous” and “We don’t imagine him as a terrorist, despite being known for addictions”.  So that’s Ok then!

More expense for tourists in Catalonia

While we are lucky enough to be able to nip over to Barcelona for a day, tourists wishing to check into a hotel are facing huge increases in tourist tax.  From April 1st the price has doubled – which means that to stay at a 5* hotel you will now need to pay 7€ per night tourist tax instead of the current 3.50€.  4* hotels will now add 3.40€ and AirBNB type accommodation is up from 2.25€ to 4.50€.  In the rest of Spanish Catalonia (ie outside the City of Barcelona) the rates will be increased in two stages, the first increase in April 2026 and the second in April 2027.  An additional cost that we ‘locals’ might face is that the Chamber of Commerce is reviewing whether to reinstate the tolls on the AP7 motorway – they believe that the fact that motorists don’t have to pay a toll has caused an explosion in the amount of traffic, and therefore the number of accidents, and that the condition of the road has deteriorated badly.

Return of the ‘rear-view mirror’ scam

A scam that has been widespread for several years has experienced a new upsurge in recent weeks in the P-O.  It usually happens on supermarket car-parks where a driver accuses the victim of having broken their rear-view mirror (conveniently already broken).  During the conversation the scammer pretends to share the same insurance company as the victim and makes a fake phone call to the insurance company and hands the phone over to the victim.  The insurance company (who just happens to be an accomplice) explains that the excess runs to several hundred euros, at which point the scammer suggests that they forget involving the insurance company and that the two parties make an amicable arrangement and sort it out in cash.  In most cases the elderly are the most targeted, and the scammers have been operating in supermarket car parks in Thuir, Laroque-des-Alberes, Canet and Saint-Cyprien, to name just a few.

More record-breaking weather

After the violent tempests experienced mid-February it was a relief when the wind stopped – but a huge surprise that the temperatures rose so high.  February 23rd was the second hottest ever known in Perpignan with a reading of 24.6° and Cabestany was noted as being the hottest city in France when the mercury hit 25° at midday.  The warm weather did not last but February will be recorded as being a particularly mild month with temperatures 3° above average.  It is extremely likely that winter is over.

Police officers assaulted in Perpignan

Three police officers were attacked by around 30 individuals in the Saint-Jacques district of Perpignan on Saturday 21 February.  They were trying to arrest an individual in whose vehicle they had discovered narcotics and cash, when the man called for ‘help’ and a group of people arrived and violently attacked the police with various objects.  Reinforcements arrived and managed to extricate the officers from this dangerous situation but at this stage no arrests have been made.

Weapon discovered hidden in showers at Perpignan Prison

Guards carry out regular surprise checks on the cells at Perpignan Prison but last weekend a random search of the shower facilities revealed a surprising find.  Hidden in a ventilation pipe was a cache containing a mobile phone with charger, a game console, a precision scale for weighing drugs and also a 25ml pepper bomb.  Prison officers are well aware that many items are delivered into the prison via drones, and they do have an anti-drone device which was sold as a ‘miracle’ solution but this does not appear to be working and in fact causes more harm (by disrupting the signals of the remote controls of personnel vehicles) than good.

Man rescued from roof of his house

When fire broke out in the garage of a village house in Pia the occupant was unable to get out so took refuge on the roof of the 3-storey building.  Shortly after 9pm on Friday evening fire-fighters arrived on the scene and were able to rescue the 28 year old man with the aid of a long ladder.  The other occupant of the house, a 57 year old man, had attempted to get his car out of the burning garage but was overcome by the fumes and had to be evacuated to Perpignan hospital.  It took the firefighters most of the night to extinguish the fire, which destroyed the garage and left the rest of the property seriously impacted by smoke and heat damage.

And finally…..

The owners of a fairground ride were pretty peeved when it was stolen from the site near Girona.  The 43 tonne merry-go-round was called the ‘Crazy Frog’ and had articulated arms which moved up and down during the ride.  It had been folded and packed onto a large trailer but was obviously not something thieves could hide or disguise easily.  Having searched all of Catalonia the owners contacted the border officers and discovered that the Crazy Frog had been seen crossing the border.  It was finally traced to an industrial area of Perpignan and investigations into the theft continue….