Brits on holiday in Majorca have been caught laying out their towels as early as 5am in a bid to get the best sun lounger spots by the pool.
Mum Rebekah posted a humorous video on Instagram showing the swathes of towels left on the ground by guests in an effort to reserve a space hours before a sunbed can be booked at 9am.
In the video she jokes: "Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you the British efforts from this year’s annual ‘Sun-bed Showdown’. More tactical, skilled and hated than ANY sports team in the world…"
"Cue the mass gathering of towels from as early as 5am to gain a prime spot round the pool and if you’re really lucky grab a parasol.
"The more dedicated of the team even stake out on these towels until unlock time. No towel down by 7am no poolside space for your family.
"Think of it as a British hybrid version of musical chairs meets the Hunger Games. Forget the lie-in and prepare to become immersed in the game!’
Speaking to the Metro she said that by 8am each morning there's a mass of people standing around the stacked sun loungers waiting for them to be unlocked.
"It's like the rush for boats on the Titanic. It's ridiculous, there are enough to go around but people have got all these tactics to make sure they get a place by the pool."
Rebekah, who is on holiday with her husband and two children, said the hotel staff were not at fault, and blamed British tourists for behaving badly during the sunbed wars.
Last month we reported how staff at a Tenerife resort stepped in to remove sunbed-blockers' towels from deck chairs.
Workers were seen picking up dozens of items laid out by guests at the Gran Costa Adeje Hotel in southern Tenerife in a bid to reserve the loungers.
Holidaymaker Amanda Proctor filmed the staff removing the towels and bags before leaving notes explaining where they could be collected from.
The holidaymaker said there was a sign at the hotel saying guests were not allowed to reserve sunbeds before 10am.
One member of hotel staff is seen with more than 10 towels flung over his shoulder.
One hotel guest appeared to run over to the staff members to ask them to leave his towel on the lounger while it was being removed.
Social media users appeared to be on the side of the towel removers, backing a move away from over-zealous sunbed reservers.
One user commented: "It's the ones who reserve poolside who don't show up until 4pm".
Proctor replied: "Exactly. I was lying there thinking … go on! They took their bags, towels and everything left a note on the sun lounger where to collect."
