FRIGHTENING! Two British-owned homes demolished in Andalucia yesterday. Read the full Press release from the AUAN action group campaigning for property rights in the Almanzora region of Andalucia

Two British owned houses, located near the hamlet of Las Terreras in the municipality of CANTORIA in ANDALUCIA, SPAIN, were demolished yesterday in an unannounced move by representatives of the Junta de Andalucia, the regional administration, acting on a court order. The demolitions resulted from proceedings started by the regional government in 2004 against a local promoter relating to the construction of FOUR houses without the planning permission. A firm sentence of demolition was applied to all four houses in June of this year and the promoter was ordered to demolish the properties at his own expense and to compensate the four British home owners, who, as acknowledged in the court judgement , had acted in good faith. However, it is understood that the homeowners have yet to receive any compensation in spite of yesterday’s demolition. Two of the four houses were demolished following an instruction to execute the demolition order issued by the Provincial Court in September 2013. The remaining two houses, also British owned, face the same fate. The houses were vacated at the time of their demolition. There are an estimated 300,000 illegal properties in Andalucia according to government estimates. Two more British families, purchasers in good faith have lost their home, and it appears that they have not been compensated, which AUAN considers to be against their most elemental human rights.