Brits warned to follow Spain's beach rules or risk £1,000 fines on holiday
A little-known rule could see your holiday quickly ruined and become much more expensive.
Each year around 18million people head to Spain from the UK, making it the country most regularly visited among Brits. While it is not hard to understand why - given the location, weather and general good times that abound in the sunny nation - a Spain holiday is not without potential drawbacks.
One particular hurdle is found in Benidorm, a seaside destination on the east of the country which attracts more than one million Brits each year. Like many coastal destinations, Benidorm has regionally specific rules designed to keep order. One of those relates to when you can and can't go swimming.
If you're caught swimming in the sea between midnight and 7am, you'll be at risk of a fine between €750 and €1,200 (£641 to £1,026). The same financial penalty will be headed your way if you're caught sleeping or camping on the beaches during these hours.
Night swimming can end up costing you a packet in Benidorm (Getty Images)These are far from the only rules either. Below is a list of just some of the action which could land you with a significantly lighter wallet when in Benidorm.
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- Smoking on the beach - up to €2,000 (£1711)
- Swimming while the red flag is flying - €1,000 (£855)
- Sex on the beach - €750 (£641)
- Drinking alcohol on the beach - €750 (£641)
- Fishing with a rod - €750 (£641)
- Fishing with a harpoon - €1,100 (£941)
- Using shampoo and soap in beach showers - €650 (£556)
- Getting naked on a non-nudist beach - €650 (£556)
- Not covering up when you leave the beach - €300 (£256)
- Urinating in the sea - €150 (£128)
- Reserving a place with a parasol or towel - €150 (£128)
- Playing ball games outside of designated areas - €120 (£102)
- Building large sand sculptures - €150 (£128)
Tourism and hospitality are a huge parts of the Spanish economy, but as the list above shows, keeping control of the industries is sometimes easier said than done.
At the moment a debate is raging in Spain as to whether its late opening restaurants and bars should shut up shop earlier in the night.
Yolanda Diaz, Spain's Minister of Employment and Social Economy, has pledged that new regulations will be introduced to adjust opening times that are currently "not reasonable". If her ambitions are realised, then scenes of town squares filled full of cheerful punters sipping sangria and chewing tapas deep into the small hours may become a thing of the past.
As core to Spanish identity as such settings are, there is growing concern about the impact of noise on certain neighbourhoods and for the health of restaurant and bar workers required to work late into the night.
"A country that has its restaurants open at one in the morning is not reasonable. It is crazy to try to continue extending hours until I don't know what time," Diaz argued at Spain's congress last week.
Not everyone is a fan of the proposals however, with many politicians and business leaders arguing that the move would change one of the most important aspects of Spanish culture.
Jose Luis Yzuel, the president of Hospitality of Spain, said the changes would risk Spain becoming "more boring than the Nordic countries, where you go home at 6pm because nothing is open".
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