This is the moment two bewildered British sun worshipers are confronted by Spanish officers in Benidorm for sharing a bottle of rosé by the water, as the resort takes a tougher stance on alcohol consumption.
Footage shows the officers standing on a sea wall talking to the unnamed men who had set up with a table on the sand to enjoy a bottle of wine in the Spanish seaside resort.
Another Briton couple 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 tourists who may have been the first victims of Benidorm’s ban on drinking on the beach. Officials recently imposed fines of up to £650 for breaching the rule.
The men, who were sitting in sun loungers on the beach, were approached and spoken to by police as they sipped wine in the sun.
But Darren said: ‘It’s the first time I’ve ever seen police take people off the beach for drinking.’
Two British tourists have been removed from a beach in Benidorm after sharing a bottle of wine on the water
Police were recorded approaching the two men before allegedly asking them to leave. This comes as Benidorm introduces a range of fines to keep tourists in check, including a drinks ban that could cost up to £635.
The two men can be seen obeying the police officers’ orders
It is unclear whether the two men were fined, but they were reportedly removed from the beach
Police were seen patrolling the walkway near Benidorm beach
In the video, which has been liked more than 2,346 times on TikTok, the two can be seen holding a small folding table together, on which there is a bottle of rosé and two glasses.
Darren says, “There’s a couple over there who get busted for drinking on the beach.”
He continues filming as police approach other tourists. ‘The two men were not doing anything wrong, they were just chilling with a bottle of wine,’ Darren adds.
‘It is the first time that I see the police taking people off the beach because they have been drinking.
‘It’s getting very strict there, the police don’t get involved and frisk people every night.
The fine for drinking on the beach in Benidorm is €750, the equivalent of around £635.
It is unclear whether the two men were fined, but they were reportedly removed from the beach.
The TikTok has also attracted hundreds of comments from users.
Popular destinations introduce a range of measures to moderate tourist behaviour
One user said: ‘It’s Benidorm, I thought everyone was drinking everywhere,’ while another added: ‘The nice police.’
But there were also supporters who agreed with the fines.
“If it says you can’t drink on the beach then that’s the law,” one person responded, while another TikTok user said, “Rules are rules, end of story.
Benidorm is one of many Spanish tourist hotspots that have come under pressure from holidaymakers, and the booze ban is just one of a number of recently introduced measures to control rowdy tourists.
This summer’s measures took place amid angry protests from locals. They not only took to the streets, but also occupied beaches to scare away tourists.
New alcohol consumption rules have been introduced to combat unruly behaviour
Drunken Brits can be seen on the streets of the Spanish holiday resort of Magaluf this summer
Graffiti telling tourists to “go home” – and blunter language – have become commonplace at sun-drenched Mediterranean resorts in Spain, Greece and elsewhere.
Landlocked cities are also fed up with visiting Brits living it up on city breaks – and, often even worse, raucous stag and hen parties.
Holidaymakers and tour operators insist it is an overreaction – and point to the benefits of lavish spending in places that rely on foreign spending.
New rules in Magaluf ban drinking on the streets and buying alcohol in supermarkets after 8:30 p.m. Fines can range up to €1,500 (£1,350) or up to €3,000 (£2,550) for more serious conduct offences.
Earlier this month, mocking Majorcans blocked confused holidaymakers from accessing an idyllic beach on the island.
Members of the public protest at Calo des Moro beach outside Santanyi, Mallorca, on June 16 – where tourists were told to ‘go, go, go’
Also last month, around 15,000 residents marched through Palma to protest what they called “overtourism”, while drunken Britons on the beaches and streets of Magaluf pointed out the new drink bans and fines.
Elsewhere in Spain, Brits have been told they could face a £170 fine if they buy souvenirs from unlicensed sellers on the beaches and streets of the Costa Blanca. Meanwhile, a battle over the sale of tanning beds has also broken out.
Plainclothes officers patrol to punish unsuspecting tourists.