Repeated power cuts are making life a misery for residents in multiple Malaga municipalities, it has been claimed.

Among the worst hit is Torrox, a popular town for British expats and tourists around a 40-minute drive east of Malaga city.

In the El Pontil area of the town’s historic centre, repeated outages have sparked anger among locals, businesses and town hall officials.

‘We can’t live like this in this day and age,’ lifelong resident Horacio Daga told Malaga Hoy.

‘This has been happening for years. In winter, especially around Christmas, the power cuts are almost daily.’

Daga says there are times when the neighbourhood is left without electricity for six or even seven hours at a time.

‘We’ve complained to Endesa many times because this just isn’t normal, but we still haven’t had any real answers,’ he claimed.

‘Some neighbours rely on teleworking and simply can’t do their jobs when the power goes out.’

Torrox mayor Oscar Medina said some parts of the municipality are being hit harder than others, particularly El Pontil and areas along the coast.

However, he insists the problem is being felt across the entire town.

According to Medina, the number of incidents has increased in recent months, and he believes the main cause is outdated infrastructure struggling to cope with a growing population.

‘More and more people are using electricity and internet services, but the network hasn’t been modernised at the same pace,’ he said.

‘The infrastructure is practically the same as it was years ago, and that leads to blackouts and connection problems.’

The mayor also argued the issue goes beyond Torrox and affects other towns in Malaga province as well.

‘This is a structural problem caused by a lack of investment in essential public services like the electricity grid, telecommunications and transport,’ he said.

Medina warned that the outages can also pose serious risks for residents. Just days ago, he says, several elderly people contacted him after being trapped inside a lift for nearly an hour when the power suddenly went out.

‘As mayor, I cannot accept situations like this,’ he said.

In Torrox Costa, residents and workers say the situation is even worse. Kin de los Santos, who works at CR Costa Renta Car, says there were several power cuts throughout an entire day just two weeks ago.

‘This year it’s been happening more often than before,’ he says. ‘Our work is completely digital, so when the electricity goes out we simply can’t operate properly.’

However, energy company Endesa insists there is no structural problem with the electricity network in Torrox.

A spokesperson told Malaga Hoy that the issues referenced by the mayor were isolated incidents. One occurred two Fridays ago in El Pontil, while the other took place the following Monday on an overhead power line in Torrox Costa.

According to the company, the repair work on the overhead line took longer because of the nature of the installation, which meant the system was affected for a longer period. Even so, Endesa says both incidents were resolved the same day.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.