HOLIDAYMAKERS heading to Spain have been warned they could face a £260 fine for hogging prime beach spots using towels and sun shades.
Torrox has become the third town in Malaga to introduce fines from £43 to £260 for those who reserve a spot at the beach.
The move comes after fed-up locals reported not being able to find a spot on the beach in the morning with tourists reserving spots by plonking down umbrellas, chairs, and towels before going back to their hotels.
One told local media that the practice is so widespread it is impossible for locals to "get up later than eight in the morning because otherwise, they won't have a spot".
Spanish police said that if they find unattended belongings on the beach, they will wait for one hour and, if no one returns within that time, the items will be seized.
If the confiscated items are not claimed within the next ten days they will be destroyed.
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The tourists must pay the fine to get them back if they are claimed.
Torrox municipality lists among its prohibitions "the reservation of physical space on the beaches, at any time of the day or night, by placing any type of object or items (chairs, umbrellas, tables, tents, etc.) on the sand without the physical presence of the owner".
Similar bans are in place in the towns of Velez and Algarrobo, while authorities in Gandia, Torrevieja, Cullera, and Oropesa del Mar in Valencia also dish out financial penalties to offenders.
Meanwhile, a similar rule exists in popular Benidorm where a sunbed war has erupted between locals and tourists.
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Spanish council chiefs have said they will get tough with repeat offenders after photos emerged of locals trying to beat Brit tourists to prime spots by setting up sunbeds in the middle of the night.
And another Brit holiday destination has revealed that any belongings found on their beaches before 9.30am will be removed – and the owners fined.
The Calpe Council has introduced an ordinance which prohibits chairs, hammocks and umbrellas from being placed on the beaches early in the morning.
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