El bottelón

Teenage binge drinking is just as much of a problem here in Spain as it is in the UK. Boys and girls, from the age of 14 upwards, regularly take to the streets and parks in the Summer months to celebrate "el fin de semana".

Armed with a bottle of rum, gin or whisky and a large bottle of Coca Cola, young people make their way up to La Pedrera on Friday and Saturday nights when the weather is warm.

Between 1am and 2am in the morning they head back to the town via the Villas Andrea estate.

Even if you don't hear them as they shout at each other and rev their mopeds up and down the road, you can witness the trail of devastation on their route back home.

The empty bottles strewn around the refreshment area are the first sign. But sadly it doesn't stop there. Last year, they managed to kick over all the service boxes on the vacant plot round the corner exposing the live electricity feed and all but rupturing the water and gas pipes.

On the road from the estate to the first corner, they've wrenched every one of the litter bins bar two from their posts and now they've demolished the wire netting fencing as well. They are making the place look more like a war zone than the smart urbanization that we moved into.

I've commented before about the untidiness of the town which must put tourists off from visiting here. This untidiness isn't helped by mindless youths wreaking havoc every weekend throughout the Summer.

Just three requests if you are coming up to the Pedrera to party:

1. Please put your empty bottles in the bins.

2. Please be quiet as you return to the town.

3. Please put an end to the vandalism.

Tres peticiones por favor:-

1. Ponga sus botellas vacías en los contenedores .

2. Sea reservado en su vuelta a la pueblo.

3. Termine el vandalismo.

PS Whilst you are at it, can you put your used condoms in the bin as well rather than strewing them around for dogs and other animals to choke on.

Tambien, ponga sus preservativos usados en el contenedor por favor.

Muchas gracias por su cooperación.