Eleven people arrested in Naxos over beach violations
Eleven people were arrested on the popular island of Naxos between August 12 to 25 for installing dozens of unlicensed sun beds and umbrellas on the beach, the finance ministry said in a press release on Tuesday.
The arrests came after inspectors recorded 340 violations of beach zoning and public access laws in 1,225 inspections carried out on private individuals and businesses in coastal areas over the same period of time.
These checks are added to the 2,230 carried out between July 21 and August 7, where 749 violations were found. Overall, between July 21 and August 25 the total number of checks amounted to 3,455 and the total number of violations to 1,081.
The situation at many Greek beaches with the violations of the terms of use of coastal areas has sparked protests from the public and, in some cases, the degradation of Greece’s tourist product.
The government said it will present a new framework for the distribution of responsibilities between state and municipal agencies to do away with the division of responsibilities that serve to avoid responsibility and perpetuate illegality.
The plan will be in force for the next tourist season.
