Man evacuated after home declared in a state of ruin

Cristóbal Escribano, aged 74, was evacuated from his home in Calle Marina, Sa Pobla, after it was declared to be in a state of ruin. The order was signed by Mayor Jaume Font, and it was the first action of this type, designed to prevent housing risks. It comes 20 days after part of a building in which 12 Moroccan immigrants were living suddenly collapsed. The Mayor said that this underlined the need to crack down on safety in building but he complained that neither the Council of Majorca nor the Balearic government has drawn up a general plan of action which would involve all the departments responsible. As a result, the Sa Pobla council has decided to act on its own responsibility, drawing up a plan which is based on citizen collaboration. The Mayor explained that the council could only act if it was requested to do so, it did not have the power to enter homes and check that they were structurally sound. Cristobal Escribano has lived in Sa Pobla for the past 40 years. He will now live in a local inn for the next two to four weeks, until a place becomes available in the old people's home in Sa Pobla.