Tony Hayward, the chief executive who has gifted our planet its worst man-made ecological catastrophe ever in the form of the BP oil blowout, is planning to get away from the entire mess — by building a luxurious holiday home high in Spanish hills overlooking the coast.
The £1.3 million villa, comprising six bedrooms — some with views of a distant beach — is being given finishing touches.
Hayward chalet, set in ten acres of land, boasts a central courtyard filled with fountains and a sunken kidney-shaped pool. The property also houses a tennis court, basketball court and games room. “Mr Hayward was here to oversee the last stages,” the News of the World quoted the Spanish administrator as saying.
The source added: “When he comes here he just unwinds and does not want to be bothered by anyone. He is a private man.” Two people from the oil industry live round the corner from Hayward’s lodge, owning villas on the same estate.
“The area’s nicknamed Oil Corner,” said Brit neighbour Marjorie Tripp, 69, who bought her home here 17 years ago. She added: “The place is now full of wealthy executives who want to get away from it all, but it’s not the sort of place where people hang out and chat over the fence. “You come here to escape from it all and not get bothered by anyone. It’s strange to think I’m living just a stone’s throw away from the man being blamed for this current world crisis.”