Families sprint to get a sunbed as doors are opened at Benidorm resort

And they’re off! Families sprint to get a sunbed as doors are opened at Benidorm resort while amused guests on VIP loungers look on

• Families including young children were caught on camera racing to get a sunbed
• It is the latest example of ‘sunbed wars’ at tourist hotspots across the continent
• READ MORE: Brit mother left close to tears by Benidorm’s chaotic sunbed wars

Families including young children were caught on camera racing out of the gates to grab a sunbed at a resort in Benidorm – as VIP loungers watched on in hysterics.

Tourists carrying towels and bathing gear sprinted past one another to make sure they secured the prime spot after the doors were opened to the Spanish resort’s pool first thing in the early morning.

To add insult to injury, the tourists’ mortifying attempts to secure a bed were filmed by VIP guests, who seemingly didn’t have to put themselves out to secure a lounger. 

Bizarre footage shows holidaymakers – likely including Brits and Germans who have been caught clashing in the recent ‘sunbed wars’ – running full pelt.

Others appeared to temper their pace, slowing to a power walk as they seemingly deciding not to demean themselves in the pursuit of a sunbathing spot.

It comes during peak sunbed season across southern Europe, with tourists filmed fighting it out in hotspots like the Costa del Sol and locals in Benidorm being caught setting up loungers in the middle of the night to beat the swarm of Brits.

Families including young children were caught on camera racing out of the gates to grab a sunbed at a resort in Benidorm

Tourists carrying towels and bathing gear sprinted past one another to make sure they secured the prime spot by the pool

Clare Fairbrother, a mother-of-four from Warrington, shared the footage on her TikTok with the Benny Hill theme music in the background.

She commented on her post: ‘We don’t often stay in a hotel , we have a exclusive reserved area to sunbathe as part of our package, was funny watching this at 9AM having breakfast.’

While foreign tourists have been the main culprits in the battle for sunbeds across Spain this summer, Clare insisted that it wasn’t all Brits making the mad dash on this occasion.

One user commented ‘all English’, to which Clare responded: ‘No this is Spanish hotel mainly only a few English here’.

Last week, MailOnline revealed how sunbed wars have become so intense at one hotel on the Costa del Sol that they have introduced a parking ticket style system – with towels left on beds unattended removed after a time limit.

Staff at the hotel, which has seen tourists go to extreme lengths to secure a sun lounger, have brought in new measures to curb the madness.

Guests at the Estival Torrequebrada in Malaga, who have often paid thousands to enjoy a break, have been warned they can no longer leave towels as a marker on a sunbed to claim it for a whole day.

People queue for sun loungers at Hotel Estival Torrequebrada near Malaga – many brought chairs and a good book as they waited for almost two hours before the beach and pool opened

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

EXCLUSIVE: Now the sunbed wardens move in: Malaga hotel staff introduce parking ticket-style system as British and French tourists feud over the loungers 

Management instead began leaving cards on sunbeds with towels, handbags and other personal belongings on them, warning they will be removed after 45 minutes if they remain unoccupied. 

At the nearby three-star Parasol Garden hotel, Britons are being given the green light to ‘grab’ a sunbed only when a whistle has been blown by staff.

Meanwhile at a resort in Tenerife, tourists have been spotted reserving sunbeds at 6.30am – three-and-a-half hours before the hotel pool opens. 

As sunbed war season grips the continent, locals have had to take matters into their own hands.

In Benidorm, residents were seen erecting parasols in the dark in front of the ocean, while Greek coastal crusaders have declared a sunbed war on British tourist hotspots, pledging to fight back against the ‘abusive occupation’ of beaches.

In Benidorm, locals were seen erecting parasols in the dark in front of the ocean as they battle with Brits swarming to sunbeds

The so-called ‘Towel Movement’ was set up in Paros by jaded residents, tired of not being able to find a free space on beaches due to aggressive sunbed firms.

They argue that illegal operators have been rinsing holidaymakers, who are paying over the odds to secure a spot – and leaving nowhere for locals to go.

Nearly 38.5 million tourists visited Spain in the first six months of 2023 – and these were predominantly, British, German and French travellers. 

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