Vern street, in Girona's Barri Vell, has long been plagued by complaints from residents and merchants due to the accumulation of dirt, overflowing bins, urine, and excrement in the public space. Those affected claim to have reported the incidents through the municipal mailbox, but have not seen any effective action, and the problem has worsened in recent weeks.
The main friction lies in the discrepancy between these repeated complaints and the official record of the Girona City Council, which claims to have only four notices related to this location since 2025. While residents and businesses describe a constant problem, the council limits the notices to isolated incidents.
Council Limits Detected Problems Since 2025 to Four Notices
The Girona City Council states that there are four communications on this street since 2025. Among them are the recent removal of two mattresses and a notice about posters glued with adhesive to a private facade.
Furthermore, the council indicates that the neighborhood councilor for Barri Vell received a notice for dirt in October 2025 and another for graffiti in July. These two cases, along with the other confirmed incidents, form the municipal record of notices linked to Vern street.
Against this count, residents maintain that communications have been more frequent and that the response has not resolved the state of the street. In their statement, they summarize their discontent as follows.
"We feel truly powerless in the face of a situation that repeats itself constantly and seems to have no solution" - residents of Vern street, Barri Vell of Girona
Merchants and Residents Link Dirtiness to Tourist Apartments on the Street
Those who live or work in the area attribute part of the problem to the tourist apartments located opposite a bin. They explain that, during shift changes, some guests leave bags and waste there instead of using the recycling system.
A merchant with a business on Vern street assures that the problem is already affecting daily activity in the heart of the historic center. Their complaint points to both the image of the surroundings and customer reception.
"It's shameful to receive customers amidst urine and garbage" - merchant from Vern street, Girona
The affected parties also reproach the lack of continuous maintenance on this street in the Barri Vell. They state that in more than ten years they have not seen a high-pressure cleaning machine pass by, even though the width of the street would allow for such work.
Their claim involves basic and direct measures, with more cleaning, more maintenance, and a faster response when they report incidents. Within this framework, the most concrete detail provided by the Girona City Council is the record of a notice for graffiti in July and another for dirtiness in October 2025.