Lanzarote News In Brief – Week 10

Sardine Buried In Arrecife

The giant sardine was burned and buried in Arrecife on Wednesday, marking the end of carnival in the island’s capital. As usual, the procession was accompanied by dozens of weeping widows, drummers and dancers, and was followed by a firework display.

Two People Rescued In Orzola

Two people, who were caught out by the rising tide, had to be rescued by an Emerlan jet ski, after they got stuck on the small beach adjacent to Playa La Canteria.

Reckless Bus Driver Driver Being Investigated

A video went viral last month on YouTube, showing a Lanzarote bus overtaking traffic recklessly on the LZ2 and almost causing an accident. Guardia Civil have now tracked down the driver, who is a 64 year man, and has been charges with reckless driving.

Hotel Fariones Spa Opens

The new spa at Hotel Fariones in Puerto del Carmen has opened. The spa has a wellness circuit and an outdoor solarium with views of the sea and Fuerteventura, in addition to a small outdoor circuit, and an area of facial and body treatments. It is open to both hotel residents and the general public.

Heavy Rain Causes Flooding In Puerto del Carmen & Arrecife

Heavy rain on Tuesday, caused by an Atlantic storm caused flooding in Puerto del Carmen and Arrecife. The avenida in Puerto del Carmen was closed for some time, and many shops and apartments were flooded, with drainage systems simply unable to cope with the deluge. Other parts of the island, including the north, escaped with light rain.

Puerto del Carmen recorded the most rain at 26 litres per square metre, with San Bartolomé registering 23, and the airport, just 4.

Firefighters were deployed in Puerto del Carmen to reset drain covers on the avenida, clear the debris, and make safe a wall which had collapsed under the deluge.

Lowest Number Of Long Term Unemployed For 16 Years

The number of long term unemployed people in the islands fell to its lowest level since 2009. 860 people, who had been unemployed for at least a year, started back at work over the last 12 months.

Yellow Rain Warning For Tuesday

AEMET, the weather service, has put out a yellow warning for rain on Tuesday of this week. There couple by up to 15 litres of rain per square metre, in the period from 3PM Tuesday until midnight.

Rancho Texas Installs Geothermal Heating For Pools

The Rancho Texas theme park has invested in an eco friendly geothermal heating system that will ensure the swimming pools maintain a warm temperature all year round.

New Statue In La Graciosa

A new statue has been installed on the pier at Caleta de Sebo in La Graciosa, paying tribute to the women of the island, who carried fish for many years to Lanzarote, in exchange for fruit and vegetables. The statue was made of bronze by the renowned artist Rigoberto Camacho Pérez.

Long Queues At Airport

Video of huge queues at the airport last Thursday has been shared on the social networks. Thee video shows several hundred arrivals standing outside the airport terminal, waiting to pass through the immigration gates. The issue was caused by 17 flights from non Schengen countries arriving in a very short space of time – some were late and others were early, resulting in the failure of the usual “staggering” system. Opposition leader Loli Corujo has called on the Cabildo to recruit more police to man the immigration gates.

Woman Arrested Via Europol Named

The woman arrested in Tias last week, and described as the “most wanted woman” by Europol, has been named as Tania Gómez. She is in prison pending extradition to Sweden on charges of money laundering and drug trafficking. 33 year old Gómez, is of Swedish nationality and is accused of “delivering and transporting large amounts of narcotics and money,” as well as having “businesses related to stray animals and probably with a network of irregular animal possession and their transport abroad.”

Sport Stadium Close To Completion

The works at Arrecife’s sport stadium, home of the football team UD Lanzarote are progressing well. The new pitch has been completed and evaluated so that it can be approved for use in competitions, and the running track just needs its final blue layer placed on it. It’s expected that the final works will be completed by the end of March, allowing the football team to return to their home stadium for the first weekend of April.

We’ll add more news here as it comes in this week…….

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