An illegal parking attendant has been accused of threatening drivers with two planks of wood in a busy Sevilla street.
According to a local police union – Sindicato de la Policia Local de Sevilla (SPLS) – the confrontation happened on Avenida de San Lazaro.
The union warned that safety in the city is deteriorating, claiming ‘Sevilla is degrading day by day’.
A video shared by the group shows the so-called ‘gorrilla’ – the name given to the unofficial attendants – bashing two planks of wood together while shouting at drivers.
They also linked the episode to other recent incidents in the same area, adding: ‘Yesterday a naked man. Today this.’
The incident has intensified concerns among residents about security in parts of the city.
Some locals have started organising neighbourhood patrols to try to deal with the growing presence of illegal parking attendants.
Residents say the so-called ‘gorrillas’ often demand money from drivers in exchange for watching their cars and can become aggressive if people refuse to pay.
The union is now calling on Sevilla mayor Jose Luis Sanz to provide more resources and increase the number of officers on the streets.
The row comes as political tensions grow at City Hall over wider problems affecting the city.
The Socialist group in Sevilla’s council has also criticised the condition of many roads across the city.
They say deteriorating streets, potholes and unfinished roadworks are creating increasing safety risks for drivers and pedestrians.
Socialist councillor Juan Tomas de Aragon said travelling through Sevilla has become ‘a real danger’.
He pointed to badly maintained roads, damaged asphalt and construction works that have dragged on for long periods without being completed.
Among the projects mentioned are works linked to the SE-20 ring road that are still unfinished.
The councillor warned that neglected streets are making daily mobility more dangerous for thousands of residents.
The Socialist group has now demanded political accountability for the situation.
Juan Tomas de Aragon has even called for the resignation of the city’s mobility councillor Alvaro Pimentel.
‘This isn’t bad luck, it’s bad management,’ the councillor said, urging the city council to launch an urgent plan to repair and improve road surfaces across Sevilla.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
