The temporary bridge across the river Gilão in Tavira is to be replaced, with work starting this autumn.

The current military bridge, a 'temporary measure,' was installed 27-years ago.

On Friday, January 5th, a cold front will bring rain, heavy in the north and central regions, which will reach the Algarve during the morning. Anywhere over 600 metres above sea level can expect snow.

These are conditions that can bring hail and thunderstorms, as well as snow on high ground. The wind will be a moderate to strong southwesterly, gusting to 90 kmph in mountainous areas.

Lagos council has decided that the population of the western Algarve needs a new hospital and is running a public petition to demand that the government builds one.

A report covering this decision outlines the local hospital’s history from 1974 when the Hospital Concelhio was nationalised and later was integrated into the National Health Service.

The price of houses in the Algarve rose by an average of 4.5% in the fourth quarter of 2017 with property in the region now the second most expensive in the country, per square metre.

The highest increase in the last quarter of last year was in Olhão, up 12%, followed by Faro at 8.5%, Lagoa up 5.4% and Portimão up 5.3%. Prices in Silves fell by 0.9%.

EDP Comercial has been warned by the regulator to stop employing “deceptive or aggressive commercial practices” that are designed to frighten former customers into signing up with the company again.

Using expressions that mislead, departing customers receive a "farewell letter" from EDP Comercial, which is both threatening and misleading.

Portugal’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has proved yet again he is nobody’s fool and will continue to stick up for the public's right to fair play in the face of a government that seems intent on saying one thing and doing another.

The case in point is the suspiciously covert government law change that aimed to scrap VAT on political party spending and lift the limit per donation to political parties.

Minister of the Sea, Ana Paula Vitorino, has demanded that detailed plans for the redevelopment of Faro docks be ready by the end of March.

The Farformosa project plans must be agreed and drawn up by a new committee for the development of the Commercial Port of Faro and the Commercial Wharf.

The emergency ambulance stationed in Alcantarilha, Silves, was out of action on Monday between 08:00 and 16:00 as there was an insufficient number of staff around to maintain cover.

This is not the only gap in service recently as staff shortages have stymied minimum service provision in the Algarve during the busy month of December last year.