Los Alcázares City Council say that they will take the Ministry of Development and the concessionaire of the AP-7 to the courts to demand compensation for the damage caused in the area by the recent floods.

The Council says that the company that built the motorway did not take into account the need for water drainage into the Mar Menor.

The amount of compensation is yet be determined but the damages caused by DANA in the municipality have been estimated at 210 million euros, part of which is attributed to the deficiencies in their work.

The mayor added that he has already instructed the Legal Services to prepare the legal case against the Ministry of Development and the AP-7 concessionaire, which runs parallel to the coast between Cartagena and Alicante.

Cervera explained that this motorway “becomes a dam” when it rains, given that the ramblas on which it runs were not properly channelled, which results in the water overflowing onto adjacent land.

He said that the municipal claim will be based on court decisions that have found in favour of two farmers whose lands were also flooded as a result of the construction of the motorway. “The farmers showed that there were serious deficiencies,” explained the mayor, who says that he is confident that the demands of the Consistory will be upheld.