Spain holiday airport to FINALLY clear out crime-riddled homeless camp after tourists forced to dodge drugs and bedbugs
Barajas Airport in Madrid has been overrun by rough sleepers who gather en masse every night, plaguing the building and travellers with problems.
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An estimated 400 rough sleepers pile into Spain's largest airport each night - but will now all be evicted, the Spanish airport authority Aena said.
The gatherings of people, often with drug and alcohol problems, earned Barajas the nickname "zombie city" - amid reports of violence and looting.
Drug use, public urination and even prostitution are also said to be common - as reported by local tradespeople and the rough sleepers themselves.
Spanish media reported in May that some of the occupants have been found with knives, machetes and other homemade weapons.
Officials warned the nuisance residents to move on after a reception centre was set up to accommodate them.
As the airport enforces the new rule against overnight stays, Madrid City Council has created 150 emergency places in the Latina district of the city.
The Pinar de San José centre is equipped with beds, hygiene services, food and social care.
An Aena spokesperson said: "The decision to act on the situation in Barajas responds to a reality that has been visible for months: the stay of dozens of homeless people, mostly migrants or asylum seekers, who had begun to use the airport facilities as a night shelter, especially during waves of extreme cold and heat.
"This situation generated both humanitarian concern and operational problems for the proper functioning of the airport."
Aena says the airport cannot and should not become an overnight space for vulnerable people, as it does not have the resources or capacity to do so.
Major Brit holiday airport fumigated after infestation of BEDBUGS with passengers & airline staff reporting itchy bites
The statement continued: "The objective is to avoid situations of risk, lack of protection and chronification, through direct intervention, social monitoring and orientation to stable resources of the social services system".
The authority will soon begin to officially warn any stragglers in Barajas that they must leave.
They will be directed to the new homeless centre in the city.
The eviction process will be conducted in collaboration with social professionals to "ensure empathetic and effective communication, in accordance with the vulnerability of the group", Aena said.
Rough sleeps can be found occupying mattresses and cardboard beds onto the hard floor, while others simply curl up next to the walls surrounded by their belongings.
Many of the inhabitants can also be seen sprawled across the chairs in the waiting areas of the terminal.
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One shocking video clip even showed that a homeless man had occupied an airport lift and turned it into his bedroom.
Barajas had to be fumigated in May after a outbreak of bedbugs, possibly linked to the homeless population.
Footage showed various bugs - including cockroaches, ticks and fleas - crawling around the airport, and workers posted evidence of the bites.
Aena was forced to call in the pest-control team to blast several zones including hallways, furniture, and even check-in belts.
A similar situation affects other Spanish airports - including Malaga and Tenerife south.
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