During the “hogueras ” fiestas in Alicante a special unit was set up to seize illegal fireworks.So far 500 kilos of unlicensed fireworks have been confiscated.The police have identified five distinct groups as being responsible for their distribution .They are predominantly Romanians,Portuguese and of gypsy clans

The fireworks are carried around in vans and distributed amongst an army of street sellers.Their storage and safety standards do not conform to the current legal and safety standards and their quality is also sub-standard.In one case a woman was found with 3 kilos of fireworks in a pram in which she was transporting her baby.Those caught in possession of such fireworks are fined between 300 and 3000 euros.

The fireworks have not been the only problem faced by the police.On Saturday on Postiguet beach there was a massive “botellon ” party which the police could not control as there were so many young people there.They did manage to control the fringes of the crowd but with difficulty.However the next morning left the local council with a massive cleaning job to get the beach ready for the following day.