British tourists in Spain could be forced to pay £170 fines as undercover police are set to patrol the streets.
British holidaymakers may face fines of £170 if they buy souvenirs from unlicensed sellers on the beaches and streets of the popular holiday destination.
Undercover police are set to patrol the streets and hand out the fines.
Costa Blanca, infamous for its ‘manteros’ or top mantras, wishes to crack down on the number of sellers displaying their goods on a blanket. They are often found to be selling fake designer handbags and clothing and knock-off watches and sunglasses.
Local shop owners in the coastal town of Benalmadena are thought to lose between 20 and 30 percent of their profits to these unlicensed sellers, according to the local Association of Traders and Businessmen.
Recently, the Guardia Civil confiscated several tonnes of counterfeit products from a warehouse in Alicante destined for these street sellers.
The mayor of Torrevieja has called for more police officers during the summer to enforce the new rules. During the peak of summer, the city’s population swells to around 500,000, according to Alicante Today, reported Birmingham Live.
The crackdown coincides with the series of rules implemented to battle overcrowding and immense spikes in tourism as the industry recovers from the pandemic.
Penalties for non-compliance with the prohibition of alcohol on the streets of Magaluf will face fines as high as £1,290. Such laws will be enforced until at least December 2027.
Similar calls from the nearby southern region of Costa del Sol have been made, demanding stricter penalties against tourists who buy from wandering street vendors, known as “looky looky men”.