We moved to Spain to fulfill our dream of retirement, but now we are homeless and squatted… our house was full of 1000 cats

A British couple who dreamed of a sunny life in Spain have been left homeless after their pension fell apart.

Paula Briers, 52, and her husband Rob Briers, 60, swapped their jobs at Amazon’s warehouse in Coalville for an early retirement in Benidorm.

2

2

The couple were originally set to move to the Spanish city of Granada in 2020, but the first Covid lockdown threw a spanner in the works.

Paula and Rob initially found a spot for their caravan at the Villamar campsite, when they discovered it was overrun by “feral cats”.

Paula is an animal lover and foster mother who wanted to help as many cats as possible with rehoming their pets.

She told The Express: “I’ve always loved animals.

“In the UK I did foster care and things like that.

“In Villamar we just said ‘look, we will help you, with the cats’. On our plot we had a little table where people came to give donations and other things.”

She added: “We’ve reduced the number of cats from over 1,000 to around 200.

“And we had people taking care of the feral cats, so they had somewhere to eat and (someone) looking after their health.”

Despite her kind act, the mother of six was thrown out of the campsite along with her husband.

Paula and Rob, originally from Bournmouth, left the campsite and ended up sleeping on the street in a field.

Paula said: “After we were evicted from Villamar we literally slept in a field… behind a bush.”

The couple were found by charity boss and British musician Johnny Elraiz, better known as Johnny Hellraizer.

Paula said: “Jonny does a lot for a lot of people. Not just us, he helps people with showers and everything, so it’s invaluable to the community.”

The charity’s boss, who plays guitar and sings for Benidorm metal band White Coast Rebels, was the one who helped Paula and Rob get back on their feet and find a better place to live.

The couple now live in a dilapidated outbuilding during the summer, along with their four dogs and numerous cats.

In winter, the couple stays in a caravan in the garden of the dilapidated building.

In return for staying on the estate, the Briars pay the landlord £126 and tend her garden.

Despite their ‘semi-squatter’ status, the couple remains positive.

Paula said, “There’s always someone who has it worse than us. You know, I stay positive.

“There are a lot of people who are much worse off than we are.”