Since time immemorial, certainly as long as I can remember, a visit to a Spanish beach has always involved having a myriad of shopping opportunities thrust upon you. From lace table cloths to African figurines, and these days, slices of melon to sunglasses, watches and CDs, there's been somebody along every five minutes wanting you to buy something.
It's totally illegal for all sorts of reasons - health and safety, copyright, local byelaws – to name but a few, and it's a constant battle for the local police to control it here in Ibiza.
There have been some successes recently as police confiscated no less than 24 boxes of fruit from the gypsies who roam the beaches making vast profits selling fruit at high prices to thirsty sunbathers. Our local charities which feed the poor and the homeless on the island were given the confiscated fruit rather than it being thrown away as happened in the past.
Down at trendy Las Salinas beach local police were puzzled when every time they stopped and searched the gangs of looky looky men selling fake goods, they never found any! The Guardia Civil's Seprona (they look after the country's flora and fauna, and Salinas is a nature reserve)) squad were called in to investigate.
They observed that the clever looky looky men were burying their stash in the sand dunes each day as they left, and returning the following day to uncover it. As you can see from the mock up expertly imagined up by our graphics department, the lookies may have left hidden clues to help them remember where their gear was!