$850 fine for drinking water: Ibiza tackles booze culture with ban on public liquid consumption
Tourists in a holiday resort in Ibiza could be slapped with a €750 fine if they are found drinking anything, including water, on the street, as local authorities want to cut down on drunken behavior by banning all drinks in public areas.
The piece of legislation was approved by the authorities in San Antonio, a seaside town on the west coast of the island, on Thursday. The resort is trying to rid itself of a reputation for the drunken escapades of its holidaymakers.
Rather than just outlawing alcohol, they want to introduce a blanket ban on all drinks to make the proposed bylaw easier for police.
"Given how difficult it is for police to differentiate between whether it is alcohol or a soft drink being consumed it is necessary to adopt an outright ban," Aida Alcaraz, a town councilor in San Antonio told the Local.
Those flouting the proposed law will be in for a nasty shock as tourists will face fines of €750 ($858) if they are caught drinking from a bottle of water or a can of coca cola.
"Obviously people will be allowed to consume drinks on the terraces of bars, but they won’t be able to take the drinks off the premises," Alcaraz added.
However, with extremely hot temperatures experienced during the summer months, there are fears that the rule could lead to members of the public suffering from dehydration.
“This is impossible and possibly even unconstitutional,” Popular Party councilor Jose Sala said, according to the Daily Telegraph. “We are prepared to discuss changes to bylaws but not this one.”
