Sunbed wars in Europe rage on, this time in Greece, as furious locals have taken it upon themselves to crack down on the problem in an attempt to force authorities to take action.
Last year, furious residents formed a protest group, dubbed “the beach towel movement”, and have seen thousands take to the streets to demonstrate against paying extortionate prices to use sunbeds set up for tourists.
Greek authorities are now implementing extreme measures to solve the issue in the wake of rising complaints, including bars and hotels needing a licence to loungers, umbrellas, tables and chairs out. Some beaches even have blanket bans on the furniture.
New rules also dictate that umbrellas and deck chairs must be at least four metres from the sea.
Under the new regulations, up to 70 percent of Greek beaches must now be sunbed-free, with protected areas at 85 percent free.
Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis has now vowed to strictly deal with businesses who are flouting the rules: “When we say there will be order on the shore, we mean it.”
Authorities are also using satellites, AI and an app to enforce the new rules and put a stop to the “illegal” use of sunbeds across the country.
Video footage also shows drones being flown over sunbeds on the Halkidiki peninsula – a popular Greek destination in northern Greece with many sandy beaches.
The first drone flights started in May and so far have spotted illegal activity on Pefkochori beach, as they did not have a licence to set up so close to the water, reported The Sun.
Evgenia Rapti, a 64-year-old pensioner, who has a summer house near the beach told The Sun that she was concerned about the vast numbers of tourists coming to the country: “The whole beach has been taken over’ with tables, chairs and deckchairs.”
“When we bought our house 40 years ago, it was completely different,” she continued. “The beach was empty and it was nice to lie there”.
Last month, a hotel guest in Rhodes posted images on Reddit showing every deckchair by the pool being reserved by 7am. The pictures showed all the sunbeds reserved with towels, with some saving as many as three at once.
Beach activist, George Theodoridis, said: “The problem with beaches in Greece is entrepreneurs who, either with a permit or through encroachment, cover parts of the coast with sunbeds, umbrellas, tables and even permanent structure.”
Activists are particularly angry at luxury resorts on the coasts, who are accused of creating private beaches using public land and charging hundreds of pounds a day. Sometimes a pair of loungers and a parasol can cost as much as £84, with prices usually at least £33.
The “beach towel revolt” began on the island of Paros last year, and quickly became a national movement.
Efthymia Sarantakou from the University of West Attica told the BBC last year: “There is a] long-standing lack of oversight, which has led to increased impunity.”
Meanwhile in Spain, a clip went viral in May which showed a 7.47am rush in Tenerife, with a crowd of tourists racing to the pool area to reserve sun loungers. In the video, a hotel worker is also seen lifting a towel off a sunbed, to prevent the reserving of loungers.
In Benidorm, tourists were slammed for stacking multiple sunbeds before lying down on them all.
“Two people, five sunbeds, and they are not the only ones,” said the poster, with fellow tourists slamming the men’s “selfish” behaviour.
Last summer, a hotel worker was praised for removing towels from sunbeds.