Tourists from the UK and further afield could end up facing some difficulties if they're caught trying to hog sunbeds on certain Spanish beaches this summer, bosses have warned.
It's common practice whilst on holiday to wake up at the crack of dawn, head down to the pool and reserve a sunbed by placing your towel on it.
But more and more people are now doing it at the beach too, and Benidorm's local council is tired of it, as it means less people can enjoy the benefits of being by the seaside.
The Mirror reports that the council in the holiday hotspot is fed up with people getting up at 7am and flocking to the beach to reserve the best sunbed spots.
The tourists are then accused of leaving their towels whilst they go to grab food or a sleep before coming back several hours later, leaving other beachgoers frustrated at being unable to find a space.
Benidorm council says this has become a daily problem, with people placing towels, blankets, umbrellas and sunbeds to "reserve" their slots.
This 'controversial' practice takes place across several Benidorm beaches which are now said to resemble 'the first row of a cinema or theatre' according to the council.
Now, officials are saying this must stop, warning holidaymakers that the first six metres between the water and the sand should remain free of clutter.
This means that beachgoers have the opportunity to stroll along the shore and paddle in the sea without encountering any annoying towels, sunbeds or prams.
Benidorm council has also urged local people to act if they see any items obviously dumped to reserve a spot, calling on them to even remove the offending gear.
Some tourists even take it upon themselves to clear off spaces of the beach that haven't been occupied for several hours, leading to confrontation when the people do eventually return.
Councillor for beaches Mónica Gómez told Spanish newspaper Informacion.es: "It's an issue that worries us and we are taking care of it."
When it comes to hotels, the problem is very similar, with tourists waking up ultra-early to head down to the pool and reserve their sunbeds.
So to combat this, certain hotels have started keeping the pool area closed until a certain time in the morning to provide a more level playing field.
"In an effort to control the sunbed madness, the door from the hotel to the pool area was kept locked until 8am," holidaymaker Geoff told The Mirror.
"So people were lining their towels up on the floor in a queue by the door before it opened. I must add this wasn't youngsters, but mostly elderly and middle-aged people."
Geoff was visiting a four star hotel in the Camp de Mar region of Majorca, Spain when he witnessed the technique being deployed.
"The towel line actually went back much further (than the picture shows) and the owners were seated on the sofas just out of sight, ready to fly outside when the door was unlocked," he continued.
"I don't know what time they started, but we were up at 6.30am one morning to grab breakfast before an excursion, and there was already an established towel queue forming at the door. Crazy behaviour!"
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