British tourists will be fined £645 for going to the toilet in Spanish sea under new rules
- Spain has said it will start fining people hundreds for doing a wee in the sea
- Beachgoers caught playing bat and ball or attempting to reserve a spot on the beach with a towel will also be fined, as will litterers or people having BBQs
- Bikini-wearing Brits will also be fined for leaving the beach without clothes on
Britons could face fines worth hundreds of pounds if they are caught urinating in the sea off the Spanish coast.
Lawmakers in Vigo, a city in the Galicia region, said anyone found relieving themselves ‘in the sea or on the beach’ will be forced to shell out £640.
The city council has branded public urination a ‘minor infraction’ and ‘an infringement of hygiene and sanitary regulations.’
Town officials are planning to install public toilets on beaches during the high season to accommodate any beachgoers bursting for the loo.
But the town council said it could go further than fining people for doing a wee in the sea.
Lawmakers in Vigo, a city in the Galicia region, said anyone found relieving themselves ‘in the sea or on the beach’ will be forced to shell out £640
The city council has branded public urination a ‘minor infraction’ and ‘an infringement of hygiene and sanitary regulations’
A no peeing sign is photographed. Britons could face fines worth hundreds of pounds if they are caught urinating in the sea off the Spanish coast – file image
The clamp downs came right after Spain said bikini-wears had to beware on their next visit to the beach, saying authorities would impose fines for anyone inappropriately dressed when on the street.
But it’s not only bikini-wearing Brits who are at risk of a fine if they forget to cover up before heading away from the sand. Men seen without a top on are also subject to the new rules.
Spain is also cracking down on littering, fining anyone who leaves rubbish or takes a gas cylinder or barbeque to the beach. Using soap in the sea is also banned.
Beachgoers caught playing bat and ball or attempting to reserve a spot on the beach with a towel will also be fined under the by-laws that came into force on July 18th.
Sparking off the new rules, Majorca and Ibiza announced earlier in the year that holidaymakers will be limited to just six drinks a day on their all inclusive holidays.
The number of drinks on his all-inclusive holiday was limited to six – three at lunch, and three at dinner.
The Balearic Government in January banned the sale of alcohol in shops between 9.30pm and 8am, as well as pub crawls, two-for-one drinks offers and happy hours at certain spots in Magaluf, El Arenal and Playa de Palma in Mallorca and Sant Antoni de Portmany in Ibiza.
Local authorities in Spain introduced the booze ban in January this year, which affects certain resort areas of the Balearic Islands, including Palma, Ibiza and Magaluf (tourists enjoy the sunset at Escondida beach)
The clamp downs came right after Spain said bikini-wears had to beware on their next visit to the beach, saying authorities would impose fines for anyone inappropriately dressed when on the street
The new law, which affects some hotels in the Balearic Islands, means that holidaymakers are forced to pay extra if they want more than three free alcoholic drinks per meal.
Spain’s tourist industry is trying to shed its reputation as the party capital of Europe, attracting a disproportionate amount of Brits.
The Costa del Sol announced in May it will crackdown on ‘scandalous’ hen and stag parties and said it was considering installing noise monitors in tourist apartments.
Majorca and Ibiza announced earlier in the year that holidaymakers will be limited to just six drinks a day on their all inclusive holidays
The new law – which states ‘alcoholic drinks will be limited to six per day’ – is part of a package of measures designed to crack down on anti-social behaviour
The number of hen and stag parties has soared over the last few months following the easing of coronavirus restrictions and the resurgence of tourism
Malaga is leading the way after hoteliers and local residents said they were fed-up with ‘Magaluf-style drunken tourism’ in the historic city.
They were particularly incensed about the large groups of men and women who dress up in ‘outrageous costumes’ carrying phallic symbols and taking over high-class restaurants for their celebrations.
The number of hen and stag parties has soared over the last few months following the easing of coronavirus restrictions and the resurgence of tourism.
Spain’s Balearic binge-drinking crackdown explained
WHAT ARE THE NEW RULES?
The Balearic Islands have brought in new laws which limit the number of free drinks on all-inclusive meal options, and various restrictions on the purchase of alcohol.
The legislation says people on all-inclusive meal options can only have six drinks per day – three at lunch, and three at dinner.
It also bans:
- Happy hours;
- Pub crawls;
- Two-for-one-drink offers;
- Sale of alcohol in shops between 9.30pm and 8am;
- Advertising party boats in designated areas.
WHERE DO THE NEW RULES APPLY?
The new restrictions apply to Magaluf, El Arenal and Playa de Palma in Mallorca and Sant Antoni de Portmany in Ibiza, after initial fears that it would cover the whole of the islands.
WHY WERE THE NEW RULES BROUGHT IN AT ALL?
The laws were touted as the first in Europe to restrict the promotion and sale of alcohol in tourist areas.
They also aim to halt the ‘cheapening’ of the Balearic Islands and attract new investors that were being put off by its rowdy image.
Council leaders have been mounting a fightback to try to clean up the image of resorts like Magaluf since it was rocked by scandal in 2014 when a British holidaymaker was filmed performing sex acts on 24 men.
The incident led Majorca’s top politician at the time – Jose Ramon Bauza – to dub Magaluf’s notorious party strip Punta Ballena as ‘500 metres of shame’.
In 2018 council chiefs upped the ante against badly-behaving tourists in Magaluf by putting up street signs warning them of heavy fines for street drinking, nakedness and fighting.
The brightly-coloured signs, which carried the banner line ‘Have fun with respect’ were mounted on lamp-posts and other visible spots in the party resort.
Thousands of British tourists flock to the islands every year, including large groups of revellers who have earned them an infamous reputation.
Most of the new restrictions came into place in 2020 but Covid means many Brits are only now becoming aware of them.
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