ERSAR, the water “vigilante” that Vale do Lobo residents claim has left them high and dry, is now in the national news for spending more than €81,000 on three new BMWs for its top brass.
According to national tabloid Correio da Manhã, ERSAR did not need to request authorisation for the expense as it has “financial autonomy”.
But when asked by Algarve expats and residents to act against a water authority that taxes people according to how many bedrooms they have, and then charges them “exorbitant” rates for their water, ERSAR claimed it did not have that kind of autonomy (click here).
The water regulator explains it has embarked on the car purchase arrangement – involving monthly payments of €1,693 for the next two years – because its last cars were “more than 16 years old and had done 300,000 kms”.
The former ‘fleet’ for heads of staff had “grave safety issues”, writes CM, and due to its advanced age was “prohibited from circulating in the central areas of Lisbon”.
natasha.donn@algarveresident.com
