SPANISH FISHERMEN and lorry drivers, protesting against the high cost of fuel, have closed the border between Portugal and Spain today (Friday).
No traffic is currently able to cross into Spain from Vila Real de Santo António because the Guadiana Bridge has been blocked.
Castro Marim GNR told The Resident: “Spanish fishermen are blocking the road on the Spanish side. There is nothing we can do because the protest is not on Portuguese soil.”
The border control police, Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteira (SEF) have so far refused to give any comment on the matter.
However, Huelva police told Portuguese news agency Lusa that around 80 fishermen are blocking the Guadiana Bridge, which links Vila Real de Santo António and Ayamonte.
This protest has allegedly been organised by fishermen who arrived in two coaches from Isla Cristina and Punta del Mural, in southern Spain.
According to Lusa, and eyewitness has said that protesters were waving banners with slogans praising France’s President, Nicola Sarkozy’s calls for there to be a Europe-wide tax reduction in the cost of fuel.
Authorities in both countries are uncertain as to when this protest will end and are advising motorists to find an alternative route to cross the border.
