Santa Cruz de Tenerife to fine beach‑goers at Benijo amid landslide danger

The municipality of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has kept Benijo beach on the Anaga coast closed since 2024 because of a high risk of rock falls from an unstable slope. Local police have repeatedly used a drone unit (UDRON) to detect and order the evacuation of visitors who ignore the ban. On Thursday, nearly one hundred bathers were forced to leave the beach after drones warned them in Spanish and English.

Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez and councillor Gladis de León warned that the danger is real and said sanctions will be applied to repeat offenders. The town council has approved a €2.2 million project to stabilise the slope and improve access, but the works remain stalled after Spain’s national Coast Authority issued an adverse report, questioning the emergency declaration used to launch the work. Santa Cruz is pressing the state to unblock the funding so the rehabilitation can begin.