Mallorca calls time on Ballermann binge drinkers

Future visitors of Ballermann will be forced to curb their drinking. Several areas in Palma de Mallorca, including Playa with its renowned party strip, are to become intervention zones in the fight against public binge drinking, as announced by Palma's socialist local government on Monday evening. The decision will be subject to approval on Tuesday in a special meeting held by the city council.

Offenders will be punished with fines of up to 3000 euros. The areas in question include Playa de Palma, El Jonquet and Paseo Marítimo. The decree would completely ban drinking on the street, as well as the sale of alcohol between midnight and 8am.

A spokesperson for the online edition of the Mallorca magazine confirmed that, if approved, the regulation would take immediate effect. Information boards would be put on display initially, with the issue of fines following in April.

At the start of February, the High Court for the Balearics overturned the regulation on civic ordinance, which was introduced in the Spanish Island's capital in 2014. It contained 113 articles concerning public behavior, which made noise pollution, the wearing of swimwear away from the beach and various other antisocial behaviours into punishable offences. It was one of the flagship projects of the now ousted conservative government.

isi/at/nr (dpa)