Drunk Brits who break Majorca’s new booze rules will now be frog-marched straight to the cash machine to pay on-the-spot fines

DRUNK tourists who misbehave while on holiday in Majorca may be frog-marched to a cash machine to withdraw money for on-the-spot fines.

Starting from May, Brits could be forced to take out up to €3,000 (£2,591) if they are caught breaking the law.

Tourism chiefs in the capital of Palma say they are fed-up with unruly yobs "laughing at them" when police dish out penalties for rowdy behaviour under the new "co-existence" rules in Majorca.

The local council is considering bringing in a specialist debt collecting company from Barcelona to ensure fines are paid on the spot, rather than the tourist simply going home and leaving them unpaid.

The clampdown follows a number of areas in Palma being designated as "zones of special tourist interest", which are now governed by a long list of rules that must not be broken.

These include no drinking in the street or on the beach and affects Cala Major, Palma centre, the seafront promenade, the main square (Plaza de Gomila) and Playa de Palma.


The crackdown will continue until September 30 when the main tourist season comes to a close.

Police officers will be out on patrol during the day and night to inform nightclubs, bars and shops about the restrictions.

At first, there will be a temporary freeze on fines because of the information campaign but they will be handed out with effect from May.

Holidaymakers will not be able to eat food on their way back to their accommodation between the hours of 5am and 8am and cannot stray outside the zoned off areas of beer gardens.

There will also be fines for drunken behaviour, vandalism, breach of the peace, fighting, not wearing tops and so on.

Residents' groups say the new rules will be no good unless the fines hit people's pockets there and then.

Biel Barceló, president of the citizen group Ciutat de s'Arenal, told island newspaper Ultimahora.es: "It's important that tourists know they have to pay and do not laugh at our police."

The "straight to the cash machine" policy is already in force in the popular tourist resort of Llucmajor, also in Majorca, and Palma residents want the same system.

New rules saw the ban of happy hours and 2-4-1 drinking offers earlier this month.

But Brits continue to flock to the popular holiday island thanks to the huge number of cheap deals that can be found online and the abundance of sunshine.

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