Holiday cops set to fine selfish sun lounger hoggers

It’s seven in the morning and the hot sun is already burning down on the golden sand of a Spanish beach.

From behind a still-shuttered ice-cream kiosk there is a hint of movement.

Suddenly, with the speed and agility of a budgie smuggler-clad ninja, a podgy, lobster-coloured, middle-aged man darts out and scurries towards the gently rolling surf.

In his hand he clutches a pink, blue and turquoise-striped towel. His eyes, hidden behind Primark sunglasses, swiftly scan the shore to make sure he hasn’t been spotted before he unfurls his six-foot by four-foot beach towel and lays it in on a lounger in a prime position.

Then, in a blink, he is gone as if he was never there.

He’ll only swagger back mid-morning after he’s had a lie-in and a hearty fry-up at his hotel, safe in the knowledge his space on the beach is secure.

It’s a scenario that has left holidaymakers hot under the swimsuit for decades.

But now it seems the days of the dawn lounger-lizards could be numbered.

That’s because a Spanish resort is set to crack down on the selfish sun worshippers by hitting ‘land-grabbing’ guests with £21 fines.

Special ‘beach police’ will patrol the sands in the town of Torrox, Costa Del Sol, on the look-out for abandoned towels and beach bags.

Any offending belongings will be wrapped in police tape and confiscated only being returned to the owner on payment of a 30 euro (£21) charge.

It’s a small but important victory for anyone fed up with rocking up to the beach only to find dozens of empty loungers already claimed by self-centred early birds.

For years the British view has been that those arrogant German-types had been the main culprits behind attempts to annexe large sections of beach or pool-side for themselves (whatever you do, don’t mention the towel war!).

But a German newspaper recently reported how all the loungers at one Spanish resort were occupied by 8.51am and blamed British holidaymakers for taking them all.

Whoever’s to blame, Oscar Medina, the Mayor of Torrox, reckons his boys in blue will put a stop to it.

He proudly declared his officers were “sweating bullets” to ensure fair play, which sounds painful for the poor cops and potentially dangerous if you got in the way.

Rumours that Police Scotland will introduce a similar scheme during the summer months to prevent people from claiming spots under trees to shelter from the rain have not been confirmed.