The Portugal News was told that several complaints to the municipality and other competent entities have already been filed.

A reader of The Portugal News found that on the land next to hers, as of February, construction vehicles and similar have settled on the land, while plastic is being dumped, on land that belongs to a protected area.

The lawyer Rui Avelar, who has overseen the case of the farm's resident in the Valongo region, in Mexilhoeira Grande, revealed to The Portugal News that the circulation of construction vehicles may not even be licensed, as there is no sign to prove the work that is being done. According to Rui Avelar, “what used to be a rural area with great beauty is now transformed into a warehouse for old construction machinery, a plastic dump”, all without knowing under what license these works are being made.

Garbage discharges end up being a danger to public health and cause environmental wear, altering the landscape and polluting the soils, as claimed in the request sent by our reader to the Portimão City Council (CMP). One of the complaints resulted in the inspection of the area by one of the CMP engineers, who, to the resident of the farm, said he could not do anything about the matter. After several attempts, João Galhardo did not respond to The Portugal News regarding the claims.

At CMP, EMARP is the company responsible for the collection of waste, as well as its treatment, in the areas destined for this purpose. A request was sent to the company, to report and clarify what had happened. In a document, to which The Portugal News had access, EMARP states that the situation "is outside the scope of EMARP's action, as it is private land, allowing only the recommendation to clean it."

In addition to the destruction of the natural landscape, the owner of the land where the plastic dumps are being made, at a certain point, forcibly removed from the hands of his neighbour the tablet that was being used to photograph the plastic dumps and the vehicles present there. The situation has already been reported, as a theft, to the Investigation and Criminal Action Department of Portimão and, as such, certain information cannot yet be revealed, as the secrecy of justice is in force, which prevents the release of information to the press. The tablet was returned to its owner after action by the GNR on the spot. However, Rui Avelar reveals that purposeful unloading of “end-of-life loungers” was recently carried out, used after the bathing season.

Stakeholders hope to see the situation resolved as soon as possible, not only to guarantee the quality of life of the residents but also to protect the environment, as it is one of the European priorities of the 21st century.