New police patrols aim to 'eradicate' top manta vendors in Barcelona

Illegal street selling known as 'top manta,' because the vendors show off their wares on blankets ('manta' means blanket in Catalan) that can be quickly collected when the police appear, could soon be a thing of the past in Barcelona.

Monday saw the start of a new initiative involving the Mossos d'Esquadra Catalan police, the local city police and the port police in an effort to "eradicate" the illegal practice, according to the councillor in charge of security, Albert Batlle.

A hundred officers from all three forces will work together as part of a "permanent" operation to prevent illegal street selling in key areas of the city center, with two patrols in the morning and the evening, between 9.30am and 10pm.

Among the city's areas that attract large numbers of top manta vendors and customers that will be targeted by the police patrols are Passeig de Gràcia, the Rambla, Plaça Catalunya and the Front Marítim.