They intend to reduce the number of older cars on our roads over the next few years.

The Direccion General de Trafico (DGT) accepts that vehicles are being kept longer by drivers because of the recession affecting the country so badly. But, with this comes safety concerns.

As a result, it means that the number of new cars manufactured and registered in Spain is in free-fall, which is causing serious dents in sales throughout the motor industry.

By 2016, the authorities want to reduce dramatically the number of cars over the age of seven years on the roads throughout Spain – including  the Canary Islands, among other regions – by launching tougher controls including a “repair history record” of all vehicles registered in Spain.

Few details have been revealed about its devastating plan, although the DGT maintains that around 50% of vehicles currently being driven around are aged 9½ years or over.

And even though many of them are deemed completely legal now – sailing through the ITV test annually – the authority intends to reduce the average age to a maximum of seven years by 2016 through increasingly stringent controls.

This will come as a dreadful shock to many owners, who keep their cars in roadworthy condition because they simply cannot afford to spend thousands on updating them – or because they are happy with them anyway.

At present, one in three cars sold in Spain is over 10 years old, which is a major concern for road safety.

In the first three months of this year, used-car sales have increased by 8.9%, which equates to 558,000 vehicles sold, compared with the same period in 2012.

That’s more than double the number of new vehicles sold.

Maria Segui, Director of the DGT, expressed her concern over the safety of ageing cars saying that age can “make the difference between life and death”.

By coincidence, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has pledged to invest one billion euros in Spain’s car industry over the coming weeks.

Despite ongoing economic woes and soaring unemployment, a total of 5bn euros has already been invested in the car industry in just over a year.

Rajoy made the announcement at a lunch for car company executives ahead of the Barcelona International Motor Show, which began last Saturday and finishes on Sunday.

The Prime Minister added that 12% of the country’s workforce was employed directly or indirectly in the auto sector, and that most of the jobs were highly skilled.

This will come as a blow to those who save money by getting friends or family to collect their new passports in theUKand bring them over.

It cost them just £72.50 now, which is less than half the £147.86 (including postage) they will be charged from Monday (13^th May) to renew a passport inBelfast.

As the Identity & Passport Service (IPS) points out, however, the charge for overseas passport applications is much dearer because it is based on the cost of providing the service.

But because the number of applications from abroad is much smaller than it should be, all British passports will now be issued under one roof – inBelfast.

Once the balance is evened up worldwide, IPS hopes to bring the fees for overseas andUKpassports more into line, most probably in 2014.

This means that if you live here and need to renew your passport legitimately; your application must be sent directly toBelfast’s Identity & Passport Service from Monday, instead of the regional passport processing hub inMadrid.

All necessary information about the revised process, including a new IPS overseas application form, can be found at www.gov.uk/overseas-passports.

Andy Hamilton, head of the regional passport processing centre inMadrid, says: “In real terms, all this means is that British nationals living inSpainnow need to send their applications to a different address.”

In Tenerife terms, however, it will cost the short-cut Brits twice as much because they will now have to use theBelfastservice – unless they take a chance and carry on as normal.

Mr Hamilton added: “Current passport processing times remain the same. If you are renewing your passport, you should allow at least four weeks from the date the fee is taken and all the correct documentation has been received.”

“If you are applying for the first time, or you are replacing a lost or stolen passport, you should allow at least six weeks.”

The only other change is that the current passport helpline call-charges are being removed.

Instead of paying for a premium rate phone line, customers will now have to pay for the cost of a call to theUKonly.

British nationals who do not have internet access, or who want advice, can call the IPS Customer Service Centre on +44 (0) 300 222 0000.

People in Tenerife who need to travel urgently but whose normal passport is unavailable, should contact the British Consulate inTenerife(922 286 863) or email info.consulate@fco.gov.uk

The Consulate may be able to issue an Emergency Travel Document to help you travel.

The flights will begin at the end of October as an important part of the company’s 2013-14 winter season.

This means that Tenerife is now very much a central hub for cheap Ryanair flights throughout Europe.

The flights are already on sale from www.ryanair.com and Ryanair’s Robin Kiely said: “We are delighted to launch these winter sun routes toTenerifeand Gran Canaria.

“We are connecting airports inAustria,Denmark,Germany,NorwayandSwedenwith the Canaries.

“This will ensure that our passengers can enjoy sunshine destinations all year round.”

The following fascinating journeys to various parts of Europe will be opened up forTeneriferesidents:

Austria: Linz-Tenerife

LINZis the third-largest city inAustriaand capital of the state ofUpper Austria. It’s located approximately 30km south of the Czech border, and on both sides of it is the RiverDanube.

The “Blue Danube”LinzAirportlies about 14km south-west of the town centre, in themunicipalityofHörsching.

The city is now home to a vibrant music and arts scene but, curiously, Adolf Hitler moved toLinzas a child and spent most of his youth in the area.

Denmark: Aarhus-Gran Canaria

AARHUS is the second-largest city inDenmark. It features the country’s principal port and is on the east side of thepeninsulaofJutland, in the geographical centre ofDenmark.

The “Greater Aarhus” area has a population of about 1.25 million people.

Germany: Cologne-Tenerife

COLOGNEisGermany’s fourth-largest city (afterBerlin,Hamburg, andMunich). It is one of the major European metropolitan areas, with more than 10 million inhabitants.

The city is located on both sides of theRhineRiver, and its famous Cathedral is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop ofCologne.

TheUniversityofCologneis one ofEurope’s oldest and largest universities.

Germany: Memmingen-Tenerife

MEMMINGEN is Bavarian and the administrative region of Swabia, inGermany. It is the central economic, educational and administrative centre in the Danube-Iller region.

The old town has many courtyards, castles and patricians’ houses, palaces and fortifications, and it is one of the best preserved sites in southernGermany.

Norway: Oslo Rygge-Gran Canaria/Tenerife and Oslo Torp-Tenerife

OSLOis one of the wealthiest cities inEurope, thanks to the country’s thriving oil industry.

It is highlighted by its glass-covered skyscrapers, its new subway and, of course, in a whole bunch of trendy restaurants, bars and shops.

This beautiful city is situated right next to theOslofjord and it is constantly expanding and developing.

Sweden: Karlstad-Tenerife

KARLSTADis built on the river delta whereSweden’s longest river, Klarälven, runs into the country’s largest lake, Vänern.

It has the second-largest lake port in the country after Västerås andKarlstadis often associated with sunshine. No wonder the symbol forKarlstadis a smiling sun!

Stockholm Sweden: Skavsta-Gran Canaria/Tenerife and Stockholm Vasteras-Gran Canaria/Tenerife

STOCKHOLM’sVästeråsAirportis located in the city ofVästerås, about 100km west ofStockholm..

This is a vibrant, growing city which always has something new to discover.

It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and a place for open, creative people. Experience nature, cultural history and the bustle of urban life – all in one day!

TheStockholmSkavstaInternationalAirportis nearNyköping,Sweden, about 100km south-west ofStockholmand the areas has a wonderful, historical background with lots for visitors to discover.

It was brought against him by Oxo ad mum, Lynda Bellingham, 64, her husband Michael Pattemore (whom her former Loose Women co-stars referred to as Mr Spain) and their Virtual Property World company, of which they are both directors,

But the case has been settled without even reaching court. It concluded through mediation, and 46 year-old Darren has apologised for a faux pas, and agreed to pay legal costs.

These costs, however, are not as high as purported in the press but, because of legalities, the Canarian Weekly cannot disclose the exact figure.

In fact, the entire case appears to have been blown out of proportion, especially in the UK press.

The celebrity PR machine went into overload, branding Darren as an Internet Troll.

Bellingham and Pattemore seemed to be using the incident to their advantage, and she was quoted as saying: “This man was allowed to destroy our lives, our business, and put a stain on my career.”

From the outside, it looks as though Darren Richards is being used as a scapegoat for an already-ailing business.

Interestingly, in yesterday’s Daily Mirror, the story took a further turn, the paper running a story stating that Virtual Property World have left thousands at risk of identity theft, “after the online property business published their personal data on the web”.

The story continued: “According to documents filed with Companies House, the business made a loss of £120,000 last year.”

Darren also told Canarian Weekly that, “Stats from the property portal Rightmove show that in the 12 months PRIOR to the blog their company was approximately listing just ONE property per WEEK on average, this is for their whole company which they claimed had 15 franchisees at the time. It therefore seems that their business was unsuccessful long before the blog and before the withdrawal of accreditation by the BFA. It is therefore wrong to suggest that the blog caused Mr Pattemore’s and Ms Bellingham’s business to collapse.”

Darren, an entrepreneur, has many business interests both here in Tenerife and in the UK, of which estatesdirect.com – a UK Nationwide online estate agency – is one.

He exhibited at a British Franchise Association (BFA) event, where the backstage tittle-tattle was not of how many people attended wanting to buy a franchise, but, the fact that one of the individuals (at that time accredited by the BFA) offering property franchises had served time in prison for fraud.

Individuals go to these types of events looking to invest money into a franchise, knowing that, to a certain degree, the BFA has sorted the ‘wheat from the chaff’ through its selection criteria.

On the BFA’s website, it states: “Membership of the BFA is only open to franchisors and professional advisors to the franchise industry that are able to successfully satisfy the accreditation criteria.

“Because of the vast amount of work that has gone in to developing, protecting and promoting these standards, bfa membership brings with it a highly-recognised and valuable credibility and recognition of standards and ethics in franchising.”

Following this event, Darren was a little disillusioned that an individual who had been previously convicted of fraud was exhibiting.

A few days after the event, in March 2012, he wrote a one-off blog under the pen name of “investment sceptic” in which he collated a number of documents gleaned from Google in relation to the man who was the source of the talk: one Michael Pattemore.

His prose took him approximately 20 minutes and his intentions were in no way malicious. They were, succinctly, to provide a place for the information to be referred to by the BFA, as he emailed them to raise his concerns.

Darren received a High Court writ in April 2012 suing him for defamation from three joint claimants, Michael Pattemore, his wife, former Loose Women presenter, Lynda Bellingham and the company of which they are both listed as Directors – Virtual Property World.

Darren’s faux pas was that in the information he collected on one of the documents incorrectly referred to Pattemore as serving time for property fraud.

In actual fact, In 1997, he (Pattemore) had been jailed at Southwark Crown Court for nearly two years for fraud.”

Darren’s error was to repeat incorrect information in about the exact nature of the conviction in print.

Darren concluded the interview by saying, “I have apologised for referring to Michael Pattemore as a “Property Fraudster” when he was in fact a convicted “Investment Fraudster”. However I do not apologise for calling him a fraudster as this is FACT.”

He would not be drawn on the location, and admitted the plans were still at the draft stage.

Yet he spoke of a complex, not just a course, highlighting the strengths of such a venture and stressing that it would benefit the area greatly, adding to the already-successful 18-hole Championship course at Ritz Carlton’s Abama.

The Dave Thomas-designed Abama course is widely regarded as a great challenge, rambling over 6,271 metres of ever-changing terrain. And it features 22 lakes, linked by impressive waterfalls, white-sand bunkers, and 25,000 palm trees.

With any new project there are sceptics, and one of the issues with a gleaming green course is water.

During last year’s atrocious forest fires here on theIsland, affected residents in Vilaflor complained about water shortages because it was “being sent down the hill to feed the golf courses”.

But Mayor Martin is keen to point out the new golf course would not deplete existing water resources, and that any additional requirements would be made available from desalinated sea water.

Does this mean that the new course will have its very own desalination plant, and is dependent on this infrastructure development?

Guia de Isora’s objective is that a new golf course in the municipality would complement the existing tourist offers and, thus, increase the number of visitors.

As to whether accommodation would be part of the new golf venue, he said: “There are a very limited number of hotels that fit the General Management Plan (PGO) and we have only three or four more areas where they could develop luxury accommodation.”

The rumour circulating for many years is that a hotel and golf course would be built on the same road as the existing Abama course: hotel on the sea side, golf course to the right.

However, that was dependent on infrastructure elements such as completion of the new ring road, and the building of an independent desalination plant.

Why the issue has arisen again for discussion is not clear, but one can only assume that it’s because theIslandis continually improving and promoting itself as a quality, five-star destination with accommodation, flights and activities to boot.

Golf is an activity that matches the demographic ofTenerifevisitors. The average age of our tourists is 47 and each year, 1.6 million Brits alone flood to the tiny rock in theAtlantic.

Over half the visitors enjoy at least one activity while here – and in February alone, 379,726 visitors descended onTenerife.

Unfortunately, a new golf course is not a quick fix to the tourist offer, because the Guia de Isora complex will take at least 3-4 years to build.

The frail 87-year-old, known as the “Iron Lady” in her prime, was said to have been sitting up in bed reading a book when she suffered a fatal stroke.

Baroness Thatcher, as she was to become, was Conservative Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990, when she lost the leadership of her party, having won three General Elections, and been in office for 11 years.

She was highly respected throughout the world, and was accredited by statesmen, her followers and foreign governments with “saving theUK”.

Her death was met with mixed reactions, mainly because she took on the unions, who had caused her predecessor Edward Heath’s downfall, and beat them.

Nick Robinson the BBC’s respected political editor, summed her up perfectly, tweeting: “The dominant figure of post-war British politics is dead. Love her or loathe her, Margaret Thatcher shaped this country as few others did.”

He later wrote in an obituary: “She was one of the most influential political figures of the 20th Century.”

David Cameron called her a “great Briton”, and the Queen, who will attend her funeral with Price Philip, spoke of her sadness at the death.

The Prime Minister cut short his trip toEuropefollowing her death and reopened Parliament on Wednesday for MPs to pay their respects – or otherwise – to her.

Baroness Thatcher will not have a state funeral, but will be given the same status as Princess Diana and the Queen Mother: a ceremony, with full military honours, which will take place atSt Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday.

Margaret Hilda Thatcher was born on 13^th October 1925 in Grantham,Lincolnshire, the daughter of grocer Alfred Roberts and his wife, Beatrice.

Her father, a Methodist lay preacher and local councillor, had an immense influence on her life and the policies she would adopt.

Margaret Roberts went to a grammar school and then on toOxfordUniversity, where she graduated with a degree in chemistry.

She married businessman Dennis Thatcher in December 1951 and they had two children, twins Carol and Mark, 20 months later.

By that time, she had changed careers and become a tax barrister. But even then she was already looking towards Parliament and, six years later, she became MP for Finchley, inNorth London.

She was on the way to the top and when she got there, those who opposed her soon found out just how tough she was, especiallyArgentina.

When the Argies invaded theFalkland Islandsin an attempt to claim them as their own, she reacted promptly by waging war on them and secured a famous victory.

And the various unions who crossed her path lived to regret it because she despised all the strikes which took place, seemingly at the drop of a hat, and, in her opinion, so unnecessary.

TheNorthern Irelandconflict also loomed large during the Thatcher era, and she regarded the region as every bit British as her Finchley constituency.

She stood down as an MP in 1992 and accepted a peerage, but this formidable woman had always been regarded with a mixture of fear and awe because of her domineering manner.

In 1980, soon after becoming Prime Minister, she described herself in a nutshell saying: “I love argument. I love debate. I don’t expect anyone just to sit there and agree with me – that’s not their job.”

The then Mrs Thatcher became patron of dementia research charity Alzheimer’s Research UK in 2001 and several years later her daughter, Carol, revealed that her mother had been diagnosed with dementia in 2008.

Rebecca Wood, the charity’s Chief Executive, said: “Thanks to Lady Thatcher, we have made inroads with our research to defeat dementia.

“The answers will come too late for her, but they will come, and this will be another important part of our collective memory of her life and work.”

Santa Cruz

THIS Sunday sees the shops in the Island’s capital,Santa Cruz, open for the first time.

A number of retailers have been crying out for this for many years, but there are others, however, yet to be convinced.

Cruise-ship passengers who stop at the port for the day have long bemoaned the fact that there is little to do on a Sunday.

The City ofSanta Cruz, together with the Government of theCanary Islandsand the Tenerife Cabildo, have reported that 1,700 companies in the capital have joined to open on the first Sunday.

Efraín Medina, Councillor for Economic Development, who was present at the presentation, calledSanta Cruzthe “commercial capital of theAtlantic”.

Santa CruzMayor José Manuel Bermúdez, explained at a press conference that the shops would be open between 11am and 7pm and that there would be 11 points throughout the city with various activities taking place.

Bermudez noted that the aim of the additional opening was “better” consumption and “keeping” jobs, and to demonstrate, he said thatSanta Cruzwas “more alive than ever”.

Florentino Guzman, Councillor and Head of the Development Corporation, said that the Sunday openings would continue until the end of the year and stressed that it was an initiative “to, for and from the trade.”

Guzman added that the forecast was for over 5,000 citizens to visit the city, especially for the shops.

This Sunday there will be three music stages, one of young artists, another with ethnic music and the third occupied by a DJ. There will also be a book fair and craft fair.

Gustavo Matos, Director General of Trade and Consumer Affairs of the Canary Islands, praised the initiative, saying: “Santa Cruzhas never ceased to be fashionable.

“The success of the activity would not be possible without support from traders.”

To support the inaugural opening, a number of events have been organised to help bring the streets alive, under the banner “Come toSanta Cruz”.

The Municipal Museum of Fine Arts continues to hold a series of free concerts of classical music by young performers.

And, the photo exhibition Turismundi will exhibit the work of six Canarian photographers in the art room at Parque Garcia Sanabria.

The exhibition has been organised by the Canary Islands Government and will be open to the public for a month.

Carlos Alonso, the Cabildo’s Economic Vice-President, along with Economic Development and Trade Minister Efraín Medina, said the additional activity would “contribute to the revitalisation of the business of the capital”.

Forthright Tenerife Tourism Minister Carlos Alonso said: “The shop-owners say that it’s not worth opening on a Sunday as there is no custom. But there is no custom as everything is closed, so it’s a vicious circle.”

Public transport will also be increased, and the Metropolitan tram line 1’s frequency improves from 15 minutes to 12 minutes until 6pm.

Another attraction for shoppers will be free parking at the exchange for bus/tram users for four hours.

The annual Semana Santa event, which involves a cast of at least 300 – mainly locals – is a must-see occasion for many tourists and residents.

It starts at noon along Calle Grande and you are advised to get there really early – unless you would rather witness the entire pageant on Canarian television TVE.

But you can forget about driving there because parking space is at a premium in the town at the best of times.

Easter Week celebrations began there a week ago, featuring various religious processions and all building up to today’s monumental event, which is now broadcast worldwide.

It has been said that the best way to experience Adeje’s Passion Play is to take part, and many of the “actors” will have enlisted at the Town Hall in recent weeks.

Adeje Council’s Department of Culture has made substantial changes to the traditional representation of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

This time, the Last Supper scene will be held in the Plaza de la CruzdelLlano and the Crucifixion will take place in the Plaza Espana.

It means, therefore, that the Calvary of Christ with the Cross will be taking advantage of the Calle Grande adeje slope, which is said to be a more realistic perspective of the scene, as told in the sacred texts.

Culture Councillor Nayra Medina Bethencourt said: “The reformed Plaza Espana offers a superb setting for the final scene, with the Barranco del Infierno as a backdrop, and has great capacity to accommodate the thousands of people gathered there.”

Throughout March, the team of planners have been working on the town’s Passion preparations, concerning props, costumes, script, sets, music and more.

Because of all the changes, all those taking part have had to attend rehearsals since Monday on the Calle Grande.

Cllr Bethencourt added: “The Passion Play is an important event in our town, and is a great showcase for tourism promotion and projection – and it offers something really different for our visitors.”

Adeje Mayor José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga said: “In addition to all the residents taking part, we must also mention the contributions of other people from different points of theIsland.

“From the north or any part, they decide year after year, to participate in this event, which is usually attended by over 20,000 people.”

The Culture Councillor summed up the occassion, saying: “This representation of The Passion is more than just a play. It is a meeting point for residents of Adeje each year.”

Declare your assets, or risk a hefty penalty

IT’S official! If you are a resident in Spain, or in our case Tenerife, you must file an annual, detailed declaration of assets held overseas.

And that applies to everyone, whether of Spanish descent or a foreign national, such as British, for example.

The British Embassy has updated its guidance on taxation for Brits who are resident inSpain.

It follows the recent Royal Decree that reinforces an existing obligation on all residents inSpain- to declare their overseas assets.

But be warned: the Decree allows for tough penalties for non-compliance.

The guideline changes bring to the fore just how serious they are for those living inTenerife.

Until now, these changes had been talked about for many months, but many Expats appear to have just buried their heads in the volcanic sand.

The updated guidance states: “Britainhas a double-taxation agreement withSpainto ensure people do not pay tax on the same income in both countries.

“In accordance with Spanish and international law, all residents inSpain(nationals and non-nationals alike) are required to declare assets, or groups of assets, held outsideSpain.

“Assets may include bank accounts, securities, rights, insurance, annuities, property, etc, and the declaration is a separate exercise to the annual tax return.

“To reinforce this obligation, and as part of the Spanish Government’s recent anti-fraud law, the Government on 15^th November 2012 passed a Royal Decree that requires all residents in Spain to file an annual informative declaration of assets held overseas by 31^st March each year. Exceptionally for 2012 declarations, the deadline is 30^th April 2013.

“Severe penalties for incorrect, incomplete or late reporting can be incurred, and the legislation also means that criminal charges can be brought in the case of non-compliance.

“The requirement and potential penalties are in line with standard international tax practice.

“To clarify, you must declare your assets to the Hacienda (the tax office) by the end of April 2013 or risk a fine. Individual assets must be over 50,000 euros in value, at today’s exchange rate (approximately £44,000).”

Put simply, an asset is something which has value and that can be converted into cash.

So for most people, it means property and bank accounts because cash itself is an asset, plus investments, annuities and securities such as stocks and bonds.

The key aspect of the changing legislation is the word “resident”. You are deemed to be a resident if you spend more than 183 days here per annum, not necessarily continuously, either.

You are liable, regardless of whether you are in possession of a physical Residencia Card or Document.

You become liable for tax from 00.00 on your 184th day in the country.

The new law is to ensure you are declaring all the income that the assets may generate. No new taxes will have to be paid on these assets.Spainhas a double-tax agreement, so any tax already paid in one country can be offset in the other.

However, in general, you cannot choose where you pay tax. If you are fiscally resident inSpain, you should declare and pay tax on your worldwide income. The fines if they discover you have undeclared assets are punitive.

A Spanish tax year is the same as a calendar year (1^st January to 31^st December), unlike the UK tax year, which runs from 6^th April to the following 5^th April.

If you are resident inSpain, you will be liable for income, capitals gains and succession duty (inheritance tax) on your worldwide assets.

Residents must declare the value of their assets on 31^st December 31^st, and failure to do so could result in fines exceeding the value of the asset.

The new form, which has to be completed, is called a modelo 720. Failure to do so, or a late return, will result in itself a 300-euro fine.

Many of you ask, “But why do they need to know”, but that’s because there are people living here who tell HMRC that they are paying tax here – and they’re not!

The guidance can be found on the “Finance” page of the Living in Spain section of the British Embassy website at www.ukinspain.fco.gov.uk .

The direct link is http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/living-in-spain/finance.

The tragic incident happened at their house in Piedra Hincada, Guia de Isora, on Wednesday evening.

Neighbours heard screaming and shouting from the Calle de Basalto home at around 8pm.

It then fell silent, and Cabo Verdean José Antonio G.S was said to have run into the street, with blood-stained clothes, shouting: “I killed my family! I killed my family.”

The emergency services received several calls at 8.09pm, and local Police arrived at the property soon afterwards and found three people dead, including the four-year-old.

He was upstairs with his maternal grand-parents – 50-year-old grandmother Maria de Los Angeles Bello Gonzalez, originally from Icod, and grandfather Dalmacio Mendoza Navarro, 54, a La Gomera native. All had suffered a series of stab wounds.

Sources confirmed to Canarian Weekly that the 42-year-old suspect was taken toCandelariaHospital, where he had an operation for cuts to his wrist tendons.

However, it is not known whether the wounds were self-inflicted or as a result of a struggle.

Police confirmed that there had been no previous accusations against the detained man. And, at present there is no motive for the frenzied stabbing.

The house is now taped up as a crime scene by Police, who have been investigating what led to this well-liked man allegedly killing his family.

There is conflicting information, but it is thought that the 42 year-old now lived in Armenime, Adeje, with his girlfriend and young son.

And the grand-parents were thought to be baby-sitting at their own family home while their daughter was at work. Their other daughter was also absent at the time of the incident.

The horrendous incident has shocked residents of the quiet, sleepyvillageofPiedra Hincada, which has a population of just over 1,000.

The family, who were well known and popular with villagers. had lived in the area for years.

One local told Canarian Weekly: “Jose was liked by everyone. He was trying to get a local football team together, and he adored his son.”

Dozens of residents crowded on the street on Wednesday evening, stunned by the magnitude of events and unable to absorb such the tragedy.

The local council of Guia de Isora, which held a special meeting yesterday (Thursday), conveyed its support and condolences to the family, especially to “Mónica Mendoza Bello, who lost both her parents and her son yesterday”.

ThemunicipalityofGuia de Isoraannounced that there would be three days of official mourning for the family.