For some French people, deconfinement was timely to rebuild stocks at the Spanish border. The prefecture of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques put an end to it by announcing Wednesday a strengthening of controls. The authorities have noted since the end of the containment an influx of French motorists in the Spanish “ventas”, where alcohol and tobacco are cheaper.
Since Monday, "the border police explained to us that they observed long lines of cars" coming from France, explained the prefecture in a press release. However "access to ventas (shops, Editor's note) or to Spanish terraces is prohibited for French nationals" under the rules related to the health crisis, according to the same source.
Advantageous rates
In recent days, motorists coming from France have indeed tried to go to get supplies in the “ventas”, these border businesses particularly popular with the French for their advantageous prices, particularly on tobacco and alcohol, subject to lower taxation just in France. The small road which leads to the border ventas of Arneguy, a few kilometers from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, was particularly frequented according to the local press and a witness.
Nicolas, who regularly borrows this axis, thus noted many passages of cars "at the beginning of the week". "Ten days ago already, there was a line of people on the road which leads to the ventas and about twenty cars in a small parking lot nearby, because a tobacco had remained accessible," added the young man.
"Given the behavior observed at the beginning of the week, controls will be strengthened over the next few days by coordinated action between the Spanish and French operational services," warned the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. "We were on a pedagogical regime until then, with collaboration between the border police and the Spanish police, but with what has been observed, we move on to another type of action", we commented. Wednesday at the prefecture, without further details.