Brits planning to hit party boats in Majorca this summer should take heed of a new warning issued by authorities, who have said that the police could be called in to break up parties on boats if too much chaos and noise is caused.
The Spanish island's council says it will crack down on "floating discos" with heavy fines and police action if the boozy voyages continue to wind up locals this summer.
Numerous complaints have already been filed by residents who say their peace and quiet is being seriously shattered by non-stop partying on boats moored by the beaches.
At the weekend, nearly 20 party boats gathered off the popular beach and were said to have blasted out music for more than 12 hours, starting at 5pm and ending at 6am the next morning.
"This is a party organised to promote drunken tourism at sea and we fear that this will happen again," said one resident.
The local council said they did call in the police but were told they had no jurisdiction at sea.
Insular Minister of Tourism, Andreu Serra has called for the "maximum collaboration of the municipalities" to stop a practice which was supposed to be controlled by the law of tourism excesses and even banned in some resorts.
The tourism minister said there would be extreme vigilance to control boats which did not comply with the excess tourism regulations.
President of the Balearic Association of Leisure and Entertainment (ABONE), Miguel Pérez Marsá said that the law meant boat parties were able to be far more excessive than those on land.
"The city councils must be tougher with this type of action, despite the fact that they do not have powers at sea. We see that there is no political will to tackle this phenomenon at the root, both in terms of non-stop parties and discos on the high seas," he said.
"Something has to happen for the administration to act, when now we are at the right time to control all kinds of illegal actions, which on top of that generate unfair competition for nightlife companies that comply with all the regulations, generate employment and pay the corresponding taxes."
ABONE has accused noisy party boats of causing a huge nuisance not just in Palma and Magaluf, but across the whole island of Majorca.
Hotel associations on the island are also asking the Balearic Government and council to eradicate these illegal leisure practices "because the noise bothers both residents and tourists who stay in the hotels."
Residents of Colonia de Sant Jordi on the south eastern coast of Majorca say they "can't take any more" after five years of disturbances and no action.
The pledge of action from Mr Serra is the latest in a string of attempts by officials on the Balearic Islands to clamp down on anti-social behaviour.
The sun drenched islands - including Menorca, Ibiza and Majorca - are a huge draw for tourists every year, with 16.4million people visiting there in 2022 - almost exactly the same as the pre-Covid 2019 figure.
On Friday the Balearic Government and the British Embassy launched a joint campaign to restate zero tolerance for "tourism of excesses". The consul, Lloyd Milen, said at the launch: "We all have a responsibility to know the rules, comply with them and guarantee an excellent vacation for ourselves and those around us."
An example of the kind of regulations being brought in are on drinks limits.
Holidaymakers heading to Magaluf, El Arenal, Playa de Palma in Mallorca and Sant Antoni in Ibiza are now being limited to six alcoholic drinks per day.
These will be distributed evenly between lunch and dinner - meaning tourists will only be offered three free drinks per meal. Any extra alcoholic beverages will need to be paid for.
