One businesswoman was arrested on the island of Tinos for violating regulations on occupying public space on beaches. Raids have been carried out at beaches of Tinos since Wednesday as finance ministry inspectors continue to check the state of legality by business people who have placed sun-beds and -umbrellas across the country.
During the raids on Tinos,inspector targeted five enterprises on popular beaches on the island, where authorities found that 3,000 square meters of additional space being illegally occupied with sunbeds, beach umbrellas and semi-permanent beach installations.
The arrested woman had already been found in violation of the law on a previous occasion and had failed to comply, continuing the violation.
The illegal sunbeds, umbrellas and installations were removed from the beach of Agia Kyriaki, while inspections have been also carried out in 5 businesses on the popular Tinos beaches of Agios Fokas and Laouti.
The illegal occupation of the 3,000 sq.m. beach and seashore included extra umbrellas, sunbeds as well as special wooden constructions (pergolas, wooden decks, etc.).the finance ministry announcement reportedly said adding that other beaches will follow.
For the more permanent structures exceeding the provisions of permits, demolition protocols have been issued in some cases and the necessary administrative measures taken.
Control checks at beaches across Greece intensified in August and inspectors found 413 violations in 1,312 inspections of individuals and businesses carried out Agust 8-11, 2023.
These violations included occupation of land beyond the leased area and in some cases occupation of the beach without even a lease.
Checks were carried out on beaches in 38 regional districts, with a focus on areas with high tourist traffic. Indicatively, checks were carried out at 44 businesses in Halkidiki, 90 in Magnesia, 109 in the Cyclades and Dodecanese, 138 in Crete and 191 in the Peloponnese.
2,230 inspections in total have been conducted between July 21 and August 11, with a total of 749 infringements identified.
The penalties include fines but also expulsion of the violator form the lease contract.
Inspections started in July when residents of the island of Paros launched a “Free Public Beaches” movement that quickly spread in touristic areas across the country.
This summer Greeks have been vehemently fed up with beaches occupied by sunbeds, umbrellas and other constructions that have spread like mushrooms and beach bars that demand from 30 to over 100 euros for a set and also an entrance fee to allow access to what is normally “public space.”
