Motorhome sales in Spain rise 84%

A motorhome driver stopped at the last moment before the San Marcos bridge in León, avoiding a collision due to height clearance issues. The bridge, with a 2.5-meter height limit, is a recurring site for incidents involving tall vehicles, despite enhanced signage installed in 2021 at a cost of 10,000 euros.

Motorhome owners held a protest in Tenerife on April 25, demanding legal parking areas and service points. According to the ACAT association, there are 15,000 registered such vehicles in the Canary Islands, but municipalities often install illegal signs prohibiting their parking. Key demands include the establishment of 'ecological points' for dumping wastewater and refilling clean water, of which there are only two on the island.

Spain's Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) has tightened MOT rules for motorhomes and converted vans. Motorhomes over 10 years old must undergo annual inspections, while camper vans of the same age require checks twice a year. The change follows an almost threefold increase in the number of such vehicles since 2015.

Spain's Civil Guard is investigating an incident on the A-66 highway in Extremadura, where three vans with Real Sociedad fans allegedly chased a motorhome carrying Atlético Madrid supporters. Two people were arrested for a separate pyrotechnics incident on the same road.

Motorhomes and camper vans are using a public parking lot by the river park for overnight stays due to lack of space at the official site. The primary reason is the overcrowding of the municipal area for such vehicles, located 300 meters away at the Palmas bridge.

A 45-year-old resident of Ourense was arrested on suspicion of fraud after receiving €66,600 for a caravan and a car that he failed to deliver to the buyer. The arrest occurred in Ourense while the suspect was undergoing a mandatory vehicle inspection. The Civil Guard seized both vehicles, and the detainee already has two prior fraud charges in Logroño and Badajoz.