It has been revealed that a high-ranking official from the British Embassy in Madrid is currently in Alicante allegedly investigating complaints made by British residents over the local land laws.

With the number of British residents on the Costa Blanca now numbering 92,000 (double the total of British residents on the Costa del Sol), these types of complaints have been proliferating.

Yesterday, the official had a series of meetings with Juliet Maric, the new British Consul in Alicante, who was appointed at the end of last year.

Later today, he is to travel to Valencia where he will have a meeting with regional Territory minister, Esteban Gonzalez Pons.

However, it has been noted that since Mr Gonzalez Pons took over the department from Rafael Blasco, the complaints over land abuses appear to have diminished.