The impounding of a British ice cream van in Benidorm has sparked some frosty responses from locals and expats.
In a boastful announcement on Facebook this week, the Policia Local force said it was ‘game over’ for ‘Barbie’, the nickname it gave the vehicle thanks to its bright pink colour.
The van had no licence to sell food, ice cream, nor any other product. It was also found to be lacking in hygiene standards.
It said in a statement: ‘Barbie is back in Benidorm, but we caught her.
‘This striking van was impounded by traffic inspection units when it was transporting and selling ice cream and other foods without authorisation, violating health and safety regulations.’
It added that Benidorm ‘is a a city of opportunity, but NOT like this’, before warning tourists heading to the resort in the coming months to ‘buy from authorised establishments’.
But the police’s post was met with backlash by some Brits and local business owners, who suggested they should be focusing on other crimes.
One Spaniard commented: ‘But you leave the con artists on Levante beach to screw us?’. The comment is a reference to gangs who lure unsuspecting tourists to play street games, usually involving weighted dice, that are rigged.
The force replied: ‘Of course we don’t leave them, but we have limited resources and regulations that don’t help at all in combating this activity.’
Meanwhile, One British expat said: ‘Benidorm is full of prostitutes and thieves, but nothing is ever done about it year after year, they all stay and do what they like!’
The opinion sparked backlash from a local Spaniard, who barked back: ‘Don’t come, stay in England, you’re all a bunch of drunks’, to which the Brit replied: ‘If you don’t like the truth, then don’t read the comment. I live here legally and pay my taxes.’
The owner of the ice cream van will likely face a fine that could be in the thousands of euros.
Last August, Benidorm police impounded a bright pink unlicensed taxi which they branded a ‘Barbie limousine’. The offender was forced to pay €4,000 in fines.
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