This is the moment two stunned British sunbathers were confronted by Spanish police in Benidorm for sharing a bottle of rose wine by the water as the resort restricts alcohol consumption.
Footage shows officers standing on a boardwalk talking to anonymous men who had settled at a table on the sand to enjoy a bottle of wine in the Spanish coastal city.
Another pair of Brits who filmed the incident, Darren, 46, also known as Dazza, and his friend Graham, 36, from Middlesbrough, claim in their video that it was their fellow holidaymakers who may have become the first victims of Benidorm’s alcohol ban on the beach. Officials recently imposed fines of up to £650 for breaking the rule.
The men, who were sitting on sun loungers on the beach, were approached by police and spoken to as they drank wine in the sun.
But Darren said: “It’s the first time I’ve seen police remove people from the beach for drinking.”
Two British tourists have been banned from a Benidorm beach for sharing a bottle of wine in the water
Police were filmed approaching the two men before allegedly asking them to leave. This comes as Benidorm introduces a raft of fines to crack down on holidaymakers, including a ban on alcohol consumption that could cost up to £635.
The two men can be seen complying with police officers.
It is unclear whether the two men were fined, but they were reportedly banned from the beach.
Police were seen patrolling along the promenade near Benidorm beach.
The video, which has accumulated more than 2,346 likes on TikTok, shows a small folding table between the couple, on which a bottle of rosé and two glasses rest.
Darren can be heard saying: ‘There’s a couple there who are getting picked on for drinking on the beach.’
He continues filming as police approach other tourists. “The two men weren’t doing anything wrong, they were just relaxing with a bottle of wine,” Darren adds.
‘This is the first time I’ve seen the police remove people from the beach for drinking.
‘The situation there is becoming very strict, the police are not beating around the bush and are searching for people every night.
The fine for drinking on Benidorm beach is €750, the equivalent of around £635.
It is unclear whether the two men were fined, but they were reportedly banned from the beach.
The TikTok has also garnered hundreds of comments from users.
Popular destinations are introducing a series of measures to try to moderate tourist behavior
One user said: ‘It’s Benidorm, I thought everyone drank everywhere,’ while another added: ‘The funny police.’
But there were some supporters who agreed with the fines.
“If it says you can’t drink on the beach that’s the law,” someone commented, while another TikTok user said: “Rules are rules, period.
Benidorm is one of many Spanish tourist hotspots that has clamped down on tourists, and the alcohol ban is just one of several measures recently introduced to control rowdy tourists.
This summer’s crackdown comes amid furious protests by locals, who not only took to the streets but also occupied the beaches to see off tourists.
New rules on alcohol consumption have been introduced in a bid to tackle unruly behaviour.
Drunk Brits seen on the streets of Spanish resort Magaluf this summer
Graffiti telling tourists to “go home” and stronger language have become commonplace in sunny Mediterranean resorts in Spain, Greece and elsewhere.
Landlocked cities are also growing tired of British city-goers who enjoy city breaks and often raucous stag and hen parties.
Tourists and travel companies insist there has been an overreaction and pointed to the benefits of spending lavishly in places that rely on spending from foreigners.
New rules in Magaluf ban drinking on the street and buying alcohol in supermarkets after 8.30pm, with fines of up to €1,500 (£1,350) rising to €3,000 (£2,550) for more serious behavioural offences.
Earlier this month, confused tourists were prevented from accessing an idyllic beach on the island by booed Mallorcans.
Members of the public protesting on Caló des Moro beach outside Santanyí, Mallorca, on June 16, where tourists were told to “go, go, go.”
Additionally, last month, some 15,000 locals marched through Palma to protest against what they said was “overtourism”, while drunken Britons filling the beaches and streets of Magaluf were highlighted as a factor behind new travel bans. drinks and fines.
Elsewhere in Spain, Britons have been told they face fines of £170 if they buy souvenirs from unlicensed sellers on the beaches and streets of the Costa Blanca, while sunbed wars have also broken out.
Plainclothes police patrol to enforce fines on unsuspecting tourists.
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