Town halls don't want police to be involved with energy-saving enforcement

The federation's president, Antoni Salas, who is the mayor of Costitx, points out that local police forces are overstretched as it is during the summer. "Officers have enough to do because of fiestas and tourism control."

Employers groups have meanwhile expressed their fear that the regulations will result in an avalanche of fines. Balearic vice-president and minister for energy transition, Juan Pedro Yllanes, has sought to allay these fears, insisting that there will be "vigilance but not persecution" and calling for the "goodwill" of businesses.

The application of the new regulations has raised a number of questions, ones that Yllanes addressed on Wednesday during a meeting with employers representatives. They were told that businesses would be given room to adapt to the Spanish government's decree, which the minister described as being "flexible" and "common sense".