After announcing a crack down on illegal street traders last week it seems that Marbella City Council is on a mission to clean up the city’s reputation by announcing further enforcement, this time on illegal beach massages. When it comes to offering massages we often think of seedy clubs offering massages behind blacked-out windows but what’s been going on across Marbella’s beaches is less sinister. It’s simply a case that unlicensed and unqualified masseurs are selling massage services to beach-goers.

A new law banning them from the beaches was introduced last year, however it hasn’t reduced the number of them operating in the area with 24 fines handed out in the last month alone and figures suggest a further 1,300 messages have been stopped since the 15th of June.

Beach-goers in Marbella will be issued specially designed ashtrays in an attempt to keep the beaches across the region clean and tidy during the peak summer holiday season. The initative which is being sponsored by Nestlé and Relusur will see 15,000 ashtrays given out throughout July and August.

The ashtrays will be issued at entrances to the beaches and by sunbed workers across Marbella. The project has two aims, firstly to keep the beaches clean and safe for visitors and secondly to make smokers conscious of the littering effect caused by not using one of the beach ashtrays.