Brits could face £640 fine if caught going to toilet in Spanish sea

20 June 2022, 17:09

British tourists could find themselves slapped with a £640 fine if they are caught going to the toilet on the beach or in the sea off the coast of Spain.

Spanish lawmakers in Vico in Spain's Galicia region have vowed the crackdown, announcing that urinating in the sea will be treated as the minor infraction of public urination and 'an infringement of hygiene and sanitary regulations', MailOnline reported.

However, people relieving themselves in the sea are not the only people the local council are targeting.

Vico has also announced it will impose fines on anyone trying to strategically reserve the best spot on the beach with towels or belongings, or if they're caught playing with a bat and ball, using soap in the sea, or dropping litter.

Bikini-wearers have also been issued a stark warning, with threats of fines being handed out if they stray onto the streets from the beach and are deemed to be dressed inappropriately.

Men are also subject to the same rules, and will be penalised if they do not cover up.

It comes as it was announced that an elite armed squad will patrol holiday hotspots to safeguard tourists from bad, booze-fuelled behaviour.

Local media outlet UltimaHora joined the patrol to observe, saying: "Magaluf is changing by leaps and bounds, dignifying itself, and the presence of these men in black on its streets underpins this business and social transformation.

"As night falls, some slightly damaged Britons mess it up on a terrace. But when they see the GRS go by, they stop shouting and sit down."

Read more: British tourist, 34, dies after falling from seventh floor of Magaluf hotel

Earlier in the year, holiday hotspots Ibiza and Majorca announced tourists will be strictly limited to six drinks on their all inclusive holidays, with a maximum of three drinks with lunch and three with dinner.

The Spanish tourist industry is trying to shed its reputation as party capital of Europe, which attracts a large amount of Brits, and 'scandalous' hen and stag parties - another regular accompaniment of British tourists the Spanish authorities wish to crack down on.

Bans were also imposed in Magaluf, El Arenal and Playa de Palma in Mallorca and Sant Antoni de Portmany in Ibiza, with laws passed that alcohol could not be sold between the hours of 9:30pm and 08:30am.

This includes happy hours, pub crawls and two-for-one drink offers, or advertising party boats in designated areas; a holiday favourite of many British tourists.