MOTORISTS whose cars break down in Spain over the Bank Holiday will be forced to abandon their vehicles at the side of the road because of a national strike by tow truck operators.
British motoring groups said that members’ European cover would still be valid but admitted yesterday that they would be unable to collect holidaymakers’ cars during the protest.
They warned drivers to take copious supplies of drinking water and to expect a lengthy wait in soaring temperatures if their vehicles broke down.
The AA said that it would provide taxis or hire cars for members who needed assistance, but was powerless to move vehicles. Any cars that are broken into or stolen while left at the side of the road will still be covered by insurance, but their owners will have to fill in forms to make a claim.
An AA spokesman said: “The strike is affecting 98 per cent of Spain so we won’t be able to provide roadside assistance. Customers are being advised of what is happening and being offered alternative transport away from the scene so that their holidays are disrupted as little as possible.”
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The strike over pay has left more than 20,000 vehicles abandoned at the roadside, and more than 6 million vehicles are expected to take to the roads this weekend at the end of the summer holidays in Spain.
The Spanish Government has created a crisis cabinet involving four ministries and ordered regional governments and town halls to mobilise any towing vehicle they possess, from cranes to fire engines, to remove cars abandoned on roadsides and motorways. But some authorities face union problems in tackling the strike, called by tow drivers who want to double their callout tariffs. Unions have demanded an increase to €46 (£32) for each call-out from €25.
“The city hall cannot and will not stand in for private operators,” Jordi Portabella, the acting Mayor of Barcelona, said. In other municipalities mayors are demanding cash payment for using municipal tow trucks normally used to combat illegal parking.
The number of breakdowns and accidents will inevitably soar this weekend during “Operación Retorno”, when millions of Spaniards return home and 600,000 Moroccans drive north across Spain to jobs in Europe from their annual holiday at home.
Many Britons will be heading back from the Costas, catching car ferries at Santander and Bilbao or motoring through France.
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The AA said: “As soon as the strike is over we will make arrangements to recover vehicles. If necessary, we will have them repatriated and meet the costs.
“Before making journeys, we would advise drivers to make sure they have a full tank, oil and water, and also lots of drinking water in case they are stuck for a long time in high temperatures.”
Motoring organisations and insurance companies who normally respond to breakdown or accident calls would expect at least 10,000 calls a day for roadside help during the next few days.
The main Spanish motoring organisations, the equivalent of the AA, say that they have still tried to respond to roadside calls but that many of their contracted drivers have refused to turn out for fear of physical damage to themselves or their trucks from pickets.