Ibiza has ‘descended into hell’ after British vacation dwelling used as drug den
A British mother-of-two arrived at her three-bedroom vacation dwelling in Ibiza to seek out it had been overrun by squatters utilizing her dwelling to take medicine and lease out her rooms, she has revealed. Sophie Robinson, 48, arrived together with her two daughters at their household dwelling in Cap Negret close to Ibiza Town on April 5 to seek out it had been invaded and the locks modified. What was meant to be a restorative Easter household vacation became a four-week battle by way of the courts to oust the well-organised squatter gang, who destroyed many of the furnishings, stole every little thing and used the home as a drug den.
Mrs Robinson arrived on the property together with her daughters, aged 21 and 16, to seek out her dwelling had been invaded by squatters, identified in Spain as okupas, final month.
When the court docket did not grant an order to kick out the squatters, Mrs Robinson selected April 11 to pay £4,300 (€5,000) to Desokupa, one in all a bunch of firms that concentrate on ousting squatters.
But the corporate was unable to eliminate the squatters. Worse nonetheless, the unique squatters left and had been changed by organised criminals.
“They fitted an alarm system and cameras. We phoned the alarm company to say, how have you put an alarm system on a house which does not belong to you?” the mother-of-two stated.
On May 5, a month after she found the home had been overrun, Mrs Robinson’s lawyer rang to say the police had been about to raid the home after acquiring a court docket order to evict the squatters.
“All the heating had been on constantly, the drains overflowed, the mattresses were slashed, the locks had been changed so many times they had holes in the doors,” she stated.
“Everything of ours had gone. It was all their stuff. There were drugs everywhere. The damage will run into thousands.
“The most important thing is, we got the house back. We were very lucky. When it started, my lawyer said this could go on for years.”
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The household hope their insurance coverage will cowl the damages however Mrs Robinson just isn’t optimistic. She stated the home just isn’t a luxurious villa however is near her coronary heart.
“My father built it in the 1960s. It means something to all of us. We have had fun times and sad times. My father went there before he died,” she stated.
“I have scrimped and saved to keep that house. It means so much to me. It was heartbreaking.”
She stated the island had within the final 10 or 20 years descended “into some circle of hell”.
Mrs Robinson stated a German neighbour on the identical avenue in Ibiza additionally had her dwelling invaded by squatters and he or she believed it may very well be the identical individuals after seeing one in all them driving down the highway.
“She has asked me if she can stay in my house as she cannot afford to stay in a hotel. She has been out of her house for a month.”
Mrs Robinson stated squatters lease out rooms to individuals who can’t afford to reside in Ibiza the place costs have soared lately.
Dani Esteve, head of Desokupa, stated out of 8,000 instances final 12 months, his firm had handled about 500 involving Britons and different foreigners, primarily in Mallorca, Ibiza and Marbella.
“Now the place with the highest number of squatters is Ibiza. Many take over big villas. People come over in summer and they find that their house has been taken over,” Mr Esteve advised The i.
“They call the police but they are told that the police cannot do anything, so they end up calling a company like ours.”