There is fury in the Canary Islands as a mountain of cigarette butts is dumped at a Tenerife beauty spot.
Mirador de Chipeque, renowned for its views of Mount Teide, has become subject to major littering, showcased in a video that got thousands of views on TikTok
The video shared on August 1 shows a ‘mountain’ of cigarette butts abandoned across the site, despite smoking being banned in the area.
Discarded cigarettes pose a huge risk to the beauty spot, with high temperatures and dry conditions being the perfect conditions for forest fires.
In August last year, raging wildfires saw thousands of people flee their homes in Tenerife. At least 8,500 people were reported to have been evacuated.
The forest fire, which broke out on August 15, was believed to have been started deliberately and was considered the worst fire in the Canary Islands for 40 years.
To mitigate this, Tenerife authorities have introduced a smoking ban in natural spaces to protect trails, viewpoints, forest roads, recreational areas, and campsites from the hazards of smoking-related litter and fire.
President of Cabildo Insular de Tenerife (Island Council of Tenerife), Rosa Davila Mamely said on X: “From the Cabildo of Tenerife for the first time we activate the ban on smoking in natural spaces.
“A decision motivated by the alert situation due to high temperatures and the risk of forest fire.
“The prohibition includes trails, viewpoints, forest tracks, recreational areas and camping areas. I ask for maximum collaboration from all Tenerife residents while the alert situation is active.”
The person who recorded the video tirelessly gathered the butts into a plastic tray before properly disposing of them in a bin.