A Gibraltar-registered British taxi presented by the Socialist Party in Marbella as their campaign car for the local elections is now in the municipal pound

 after police discovered that it did not have the required documentation to be on the roads in Spain.

Diario Sur reports that the 80 year old taxi was lent to PSOE by a supporter and was displayed with the image of the Socialist candidate for Mayor of Marbella, José Bernal. But the paper reports that the paperwork problem could now mean a fine of up to 500 € for the Socialists, and up to a six-month wait to sort out the documentation. The local elections will have been long over by then.

PSOE’s spokeswoman at Marbella Town Hall, Susana Radío, said in a statement on Tuesday that the Partido Popular, which is in power in the local government, ‘has started its dirty electoral campaign.’ She described it as suspicious that the vehicle had been driven on the roads of Marbella for the past month without any problem, ‘and just when we put the image of our candidate on it, they take it away’.

‘It’s a clear case of political persecution by the PP,’ she said.