Brit vacation warning as ‘towel police’ launch drones to focus on sunbed hogs with £260 fines
Hi-tech drones are set to hunt cheeky sunbed bandits as authorities in the popular holiday hotspot of Majorca launch a crackdown on towel wars
Drones are being deployed to bust cheeky tourists who hog the best spots(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
British holidaymakers have been issued a warning as drones are set to be deployed to bust cheeky tourists who hog the best spots. And if you get caught red-handed, it could cost you a hefty £260.
Local authorities in the holiday hotspot of Majorca are launching a war on sunbed hoggers by embracing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The specialist tech will reportedly be used to spy on prime poolside and beach spots, checking whether seemingly occupied loungers are actually being used or just holding someone’s spot.
Cops in popular party and relaxation resorts, including Calvia and Andratx, are understood to be harnessing drone power as part of the clampdown.
In some areas, dumping your towel early to reserve a seat is now considered an offence, carrying penalties of up to £260.
Meanwhile, on the neighbouring Balearic Island of Formentera, officials are taking an even stricter approach, banning nearly 700 sun loungers and over 300 parasols from major beaches between 2026 and 2029.
The drastic crackdown comes as the summer season kicks into overdrive, with desperate British tourists rushing to Spain’s most popular coasts.
Local hotels are flooded with hundreds of complaints every year from frustrated guests fed up with the towel-clogged paradise.
Last summer, fierce battles erupted across Spanish beaches as UK tourists scrambled at the crack of dawn to lock down a comfortable patch of turf, with some sun-seekers spotted queuing for hours.
One notorious flashpoint was the Sol Pelícanos Ocas in Benidorm – the famous real-life resort that doubled as the fictional Solana Hotel in the hit ITV comedy Benidorm.
Last summer, the hotel became the epicentre of a real-life sunbed standoff. Hotel guest Louise Smith was left flabbergasted on her balcony when she watched tourists lining up at dawn, before sprinting to the loungers the exact second the pool gates opened.
Just like in the TV show, which starred Johnny Vegas and Steve Pemberton, the hotel boasts a massive pool area, but a mad rush always breaks out for the best spots. Louise filmed the chaotic 9am scramble on May 27, 2025.
Reflecting on the madness, Louise told Luxury Travel Daily that one of the show’s most iconic characters would lose his temper over the display.
She said: “Mick would definitely have a few choice words for them. I don’t think any of the characters would approve. People started queuing from 7.30am. I think it’s ridiculous. You go on holiday to relax, not to wake up super early to claim a sunbed.”
