Illegal parking attendants continue to be a serious problem on the seafront at Ostia. These self-appointed foreign and Italian parking attendants demand money to park and look after your car as you head to the beach for the day. It is not only beach-goers that have fallen prey to these guardamacchina along the 8 km of coastline; local residents are also being harassed. There have even been a few cases where refusal to pay has led to the vandalism and sabotage of vehicles. A handful of these 50 or so parking attendants have been arrested during recent police operations yet the phenomenon persists, despite the increased police patrols.