The municipality of Kymi-Aliveri on the island of Evia has sent a document to the police asking them to report the presence of illegal campers on Thapsa beach after a photo circulated online showed the coast occupied by a large number of tents.
The municipality of Kymi-Aliveri on the island of Evia has sent a document to the police asking them to report illegal campers on Thapsa beach. The document was posted on the Internet on a photo showing a shore crowded with numerous tents.
In addition, the municipality will send cleaners to the beach and put up signs to inform visitors that camping is prohibited.
Thapsa is one of 198 beaches in Greece legally designated as “virgin beaches” and is part of the Natura 2000 network. To protect them from commercial use, the beaches are protected to preserve their natural coastline.
This year, however, the beach has become increasingly popular as a destination for free camping, thanks to the municipality’s decision to pave a section of the road that was previously only accessible by off-road vehicles.
The person who took the viral photo described the situation in Thapsa last weekend to Kathimerini.
According to him, the beach was crowded, not only with umbrellas, but also with dozens of tents – over 30, he claims – from people who obviously intended to spend the night illegally.
Nikolaos Barakos, the mayor of Kymi-Aliveri, confirmed that last weekend, despite the nationwide ban on illegal camping, “not a single free space” remained on the beach.
“There is an ‘occupation’ of the beach by campers, which is unprecedented for Psatha, although it has been happening for years on other well-known beaches of Evia,” he explained.
Illegal camping not only poses risks to the health of the population (local residents complained last weekend about an intense, foul smell coming from the beach), but there is also a risk of fire spreading.
