AND HERE IS THE NEWS…

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

Is the drought over?

Despite the fact that ‘the driest department’ in France (ours) has experienced over 634mm of rain between December 2025 and March 2026, the drought warnings have still not been completely lifted.  Some water tables in the region have been considerably recharged, some even exceeding the maximum thresholds, but others, such as the Bordure Cotiere Nord (sorry no idea where that is) and the Aspres-Réart sectors are still in a ‘fragile’ situation.  Thirty-four municipalities are still subject to restrictions and cannot fill their pools or clean their cars until at least the end of April.

Young skier dies at Formiguères

A 17 year old man died on March when he lost control of his speed while skiing on a red slope and violently hit a tree.  Despite the intervention of the emergency services the victim died on the spot.  An investigation is underway to determine the exact causes of this fatal accident and the employees of the ski resort have been offered counselling.

Body of diver finally recovered from Font Estramar Grotto

In January an experienced diver went missing during a dive in the Font Estramar Grotto near Salses-le-Chateau.  After days of searching his body was discovered in a hidden cavern at a depth of -125 metres.  An extraction procedure had been planned but the department was hit by a major ‘mediterranean’ episode and the flood conditions meant that conditions were too poor for diving.  Finally on Sunday March 1st amateur divers were able to move the body from -125m deep to -30m deep and within 90 meters of the entrance to the grotto, at which point the fire-fighters could take over and raise the body to the surface.  The amateur divers were friends of the dead man, a 49 year old man from Port-Vendres, and explained that they had wanted to recover their friend for his family.

Tobacco smugglers ‘hit new heights’.

If there was an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for ‘Cache of contraband tobacco discovered at high level’ the customs brigade of Bourg-Madame and Porta would take the record.  At a height of 2,300metres above sea level agents discovered a major haul of contraband tobacco with a total weight of 117kilos.  Agents had spent some time surveying a suspicious group operating around the ski-slopes.  Donning snow shoes they followed the trail and noticed an area where the snow seemed much thicker than in other places, and buried underneath they discovered around a dozen bales of tobacco wrapped and ready to be transported in back-packs on the hiking trails – thus avoiding the customs posts.  Sadly no arrests have yet been made.

Cost of diesel passes 2€ threshold

Since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East fuel prices have been rising daily and on Tuesday 10th March the price per litre of diesel was at it’s highest for 3 years.  Prices at the pumps are likely to continue to rise but let’s hope we don’t beat the record set in October 2022 when the price peaked at 2.47€ per litre.  (Where to find cheapest fuel near you)

Ski-resorts having a great season

The ski resorts of Porté-Puymorns, Formiguères and Cambre d’Aze have registered a sharp increase in attendance this winter and as at March 8th had already totalled 266,983 ski days – which leaves plenty of time to perhaps hit the symbolic milestone of 300,000 by the end of the season.  This is an increase of 18% and a pleasant surprise as the resorts had faced problems earlier in the season due to road closures on both sides, three episodes of storms and several temporary closures due to high winds.  Despite all the problems they have had several meters of good quality snow and are planning to extend their ‘season’ until early April.

And finally …..

Gendarmes carried out a very unusual rescue on the A9 motorway last Tuesday.  A motorist called to alert them that a bird of prey was injured and on the ground at the entrance ramp of the south toll of the A9.  Officers from the Pollestres Gendarmerie arrived on the scene and discovered a large buzzard with a visibly fractured wing.  They halted the traffic and managed to capture the bird, which was then transferred to the Medivet clinic in Corneilla-del-Vercol.  No update on the ‘patient’s’ condition has been issued.