Heavy rain has once again struck the Serranía casting fear and terror into weary homeowners and hoteliers who have endured hundreds of thousands of Euros of flooding along the banks of the Guadalcobacin river.

Yesterday the Metereological office upgraded weather conditions in Málaga province to yellow and warned of heavy rain, with expectations of 40 litres to fall in Ronda and surrounding areas.

Sadly their worst case scenario came to fruition with several property owners nervously waiting the night out as rain and rising streams threatened to flood their homes for the third time since Christmas.

In the Llano de la Cruz guests at a popular local hotel, the Molino del Puente were woken at 4am and evacuated from their rooms as rising river waters overwhelmed the storm water drains leading to flooding in several ground floor rooms.

Another local hotel, the Don Benito was spared the flooding but parts of the access road have been damaged as fast moving water ripped at the road base causing some erosion. Further upstream several local property owners were today trying to clear fallen trees that are blocking small streams as they enter the Guadalcobacin river.

In Ronda a rising stream forced the closure of Camino de los Tejares in the early morning, and nearby olive farmers situated between the Carretera de Ronda (A-397) and Calle de Marbella (C3) were this morning attempting to shore up low lying fences from eroding into the street.

EGMASA, the state owned company responsible for clearing Andalucía’s many waterways is this week gearing up for a large operation to tackle cleanup in the Serranía, with parts of the Guadalcobacin river believed to be on their list of urgent work needed.

Ronda’s councillor for the environment Alberto Orozco confirmed yesterday that as soon as the rains stop and workers can get access to streams and water channels they will commence cleanup operations with heavy equipment.

Is your property suffering damage due to blocked waterways? Contact the Delegación de Medio Ambiente at Ronda Town Hall by phone 952 873 240 ext 23 or email del-medioambiente@ronda.es

An Olvera man is today very lucky to be alive after a gas explosion in his shop on Calle Julian Besteiro. Francisco Javier (58) suffered extensive burns to his face in the explosion but is otherwise unhurt.

The explosion occurred at midday yesterday as the result of a gas buildup in a false ceiling above the hot water system from an undetected leak in the valve. Fire officials told Ronda Today the gas burner was a piezzo type and hadn’t been used that morning, resulting in a bigger buildup of gas down to the level of the piezzo.

Neighbours of the shop, the Super Sur supermarket described hearing a loud bang and then screaming. Fire and ambulance were immediately called but the owner managed to exit the shop into the care of neighbors, however several neighbouring properties were evacuated by the fire service whilst the gas bottles were made safe.

The accident could have been much worse, normally several tanks are stored in the same location, but fortunately the remaining five tanks were outside the building on a terrace when the explosion occurred.

Fire service personnel have reiterated that storing gas tanks inside the property should be avoided, and recommend regular inspections of all gas equipment to avoid situations such as this.

The owner of the shop was discharged from the local medical centre several hours later after doctors treated first degree burns to his face and neck. His supermarket remains closed whilst insurance assessors determine the extent of damage.