EXCLUSIVE – On your marks, get ready – GO! Holidaymakers on the Costa del Sol race for sunbeds when the referee’s whistle blows (and some Brits reveal their towels have been removed by rivals) as sunbed wars flare up

The early morning rush to get a sun lounger before they run out has long been a ritual for Britons holidaying on the Costa del Sol.

Holidaymakers can sometimes hardly wait for the sunrise when they spring into action and grab the armchairs before disappearing like hot cakes.

Now there’s a hotel joining the craze, with a referee blowing a whistle to let guests know when it’s time for ready, steady, go.

Hilarious footage shows the moment holidaymakers get the whistle as they race to collect their sunbeds for the day.

The holidaymaker took the footage in Malaga’s Parasol Garden, close to Hotel Estival Torrequebrada, where MailOnline reported last week that other avid sunbathers were grabbing sun loungers.

Craig Trapps, who was staying at the Hotel Estival Torrequebrada in Malaga, filmed a video of the other hilarious moment.

Mr Trapps said ‘I managed to get into the pool before it opened! As you can see the dude takes up about EIGHT sunbeds.

‘I had my towels removed by the Spaniards and it got nasty and almost ended in a fight.

“I almost got into a fight with a Spaniard who literally threw my towels off my bed!”

Earlier this week, Mail Online reported how other tourists stay in the same hotel waited up to two hours at top spots to grab a sun lounger.

In a very British scene in southern Spain, men and women were pictured long before the beach and pools opened to make sure they got the best spot – and most brought a chair and a good book to pass the time.

But one witness said that as soon as the gate opened each morning, “madness” ensued, with “people literally rushing in.” Some parents pushed their kids forward to sprint in and grab a tanning bed because they’re fitter and faster.

Charlotte Chartell told MailOnline that people lined up on chairs reading “because they’ve been there so long.”

But she also concluded ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’, after her initial shock that there were people queuing up every day to get a sun lounger.

Ms Chartell said: ‘There are two pools but only one for children so everyone wants to get as close to the slides as possible too. There are definitely not enough sun loungers for the number of guests in the hotel.

“But as soon as the lifeguard opens the gate, people literally run in, someone made their kids run ahead of the adults. It’s madness. I was there the week before the holidays started, so God knows what it’s like now.’

Holidaymakers on the Costa del Sol have been spotted racing each other to get poolside loungers as soon as the campsites open.

Footage from the weekend shows a huge line of people in holiday clothes waiting in line to get the best beds.

It comes after tourists in Tenerife were labeled ‘sunbed warriors’ after being spotted in sun loungers at 6.30am – three and a half hours before the pool was due to open.

The footage from Benalmádena, Costa del Sol, shows hundreds of holidaymakers waiting outside the pool, then sprinting to the sunbeds as quickly as possible.

A tourist at the resort, Laury Mackie, told MailOnline, “The gates open at 10am and off they go.

“There is a clear strategy… look at the determination in the direction they are going. Watch the lifeguard and maintenance man clearly take the loot.”

One man even seems to run and grab two lounge chairs from the corner of the area, put them on his back and carry them to his favorite spot.

“Then there’s the world’s strongest dad swinging two reclining chairs over his shoulder,” Ms Mackie said.

“Funnily enough, most dads seem to be running in one direction… toward the self-serve beer.”

She added, “It’s hilarious to watch as we all calmly wait to stroll into the adult pool.

‘The kid’s pool reminded me of the parents’ race on a school sports day…absolutely hilarious! I’d say there were over 100 each morning, god knows when they set up camp.’

People at the front of the line seem more desperate to take their place and sprint ahead of the crowd, while those at the back seem more defeated.

Similarly, Spanish locals were sent out before dawn last week to lay out their towels at a prime spot on a Costa Blanca beach.

Even before the sun came up, the early risers in Torrevieja proudly planted their flags in the sand.

They started setting up at 5.30am just after council cleaners finished their night shift – as similar scenes also played out just over an hour away in the popular holiday destination of Benidorm.

A resident dug his parasol – the red and yellow of Spain’s national flag – into the sand and set up his lounger next to it before disappearing.

Another even planted a mini Spanish flag in the top of his parasol – and stood next to it with his arms folded as if defending his territory from foreign marauders.

Monica Gomez, Benidorm’s councilor for beaches and the environment, said last month: ‘There are also people who put their things out at this early hour of the morning and go home, and that is not allowed.

Under the bylaws the local police have the authority to act when items are left on the beach in this manner and it leads to conflict between beach goers and they always act when necessary to mediate and try to resolve disputes to make sure to ensure both parties can enjoy a good day out on the sand.

“If it is proven that someone has left behind their parasol or sun lounger, the police have the authority to remove it.

‘Usually the items are left on the beach itself, at one of the access points or at the lifeguard tower.

“That means when the person goes to pick them up, they can be advised not to do this so they can be urged not to repeat it.

“We always appeal to people’s personal responsibility so that we all use and enjoy our beaches properly.

“However, if people persist in this kind of behavior where they leave sunbeds and umbrellas behind and cause conflicts with other beach users, the police can penalize them for repeating a practice that is not allowed.”