Joint action launched against unlicensed street vendors

On Monday 5 October 2026, the councils of Salou and Cambrils held their first-ever joint meeting to address the long-standing issue of illegal street vending, known locally as 'top manta', along their shared coastline. The meeting, hosted at the Generalitat's delegation in Tarragona, brought together mayors Pere Granados (Salou) and Oliver Klein (Cambrils), local security councillors, police chiefs from both municipalities, and regional representatives including Lucía López, the Government Delegate in Tarragona, and Carlos López, Director of Territorial Services for the Department of Interior.

The creation of the group is a turning point. We want to tackle this issue with institutional loyalty and a forward-looking perspective.

New technical and police working group established

The main outcome was the establishment of a new 'technical and police working group' to coordinate enforcement efforts. Initially, it will include the local police forces of Salou and Cambrils, alongside Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia’s regional police. Authorities plan to invite the National Police and Civil Guard to participate, strengthening cross-force collaboration ahead of the 2027 summer season.

In August 2026, Salou’s council declared the situation 'untenable' after identifying more than 200 illegal sales points at Cap de Sant Pere, the disputed coastal boundary between the two towns. The council then opened negotiations with Cambrils to jointly address the problem. Five months earlier, Salou had warned it would consider referring the matter to the Public Prosecutor if no joint measures were taken.

We are very pleased with this agreement, because the creation of this technical police commission represents an important step towards eradicating top manta through coordinated action by police forces within their respective competences.

Primary sources: govern.cat, Departament d'Interior i Seguretat Pública, portaljuridic.gencat.cat. Reported by diarimes.com, diaricatalunya.cat, Revista Cambrils, salou.cat, diaridegirona.cat, Infocamp, Guillem RS, radiocambrils.cat, DiariTots21, laciutat.cat.