Heavy fines introduced in Spanish Marbella for peeing in the sea

The vacation season is in full swing. This means tourists are flocking to various countries worldwide to soak up the sun on the beach by the sea. Many will undoubtedly consider relieving themselves in the water because the restroom is too far away. In Spain, it's better not to choose this option.

With the holidays officially started, kids are heading to camps, entire families are visiting seaside resorts, and everyone is doing their best to relax. However, being by the water during the season has some less pleasant aspects. This includes crowds on the beach, limited space on the sand, and lengthy queues for everything, including the restroom. As a result, many people cheat reality by peeing in the sea or lake, which is unhygienic.

Some European countries are flooded with tourists every year. These undoubtedly include Italy, Croatia, Portugal, and Spain. Many people in one place mean that queues for everything are incredibly long. Furthermore, using a restroom in tourist towns often requires payment. Consequently, many people opt to pee in the sea. The authorities in Spain's Marbella want to combat this. For this reason, they have introduced high fines for urinating in the water.

The authorities of Marbella have decided that too many people are choosing to urinate in the sea. To address this, they have increased the fines for this behavior. The ban was introduced in 2004 but was not as effective as intended. Until 2024, the fine for such acts was about 330 USD. It's worth noting that this was not a low fine at all. Still, many beachgoers chose the sea instead of a public restroom to relieve themselves.

Currently, the fine for urinating in the sea is about 830 USD. This is part of new regulations governing 25 city beaches in Spain's Marbella. The project consists of 73 articles and two appendices. However, how those who are relieving themselves will be identified has not yet been explained.