UK tourists in Spain warned as police get new power to 'seize and take'

UK tourists have been warned if they're in Spain after the authorities were given the "power" to "seize and take" properties. The Ministry of Ecological Transition in Madrid, Spain is currently looking at a law which would affect homes, bars and hotels located within the "at-risk boundary" of a beach.

The proposed legislation would allow the authorities to seize properties that are either on or close to beaches. Under the proposal, these properties would be "taken" by the government, with some leased back to the owners for 30 years at a time.

The Spanish government will have the power to do what it wants with the properties, including knocking them down if they are judged to pose a threat to the coast. Last month the Spanish government decided to crack down on Airbnbs and holiday homes at a time when a wave of anti-tourism protests are expected in other parts of the country.

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Spanish leaders and the government announced that it wanted to limit the number of holiday homes that already had a lot of tourists. Spain’s Housing Minister Isabel Rodriguez said she would make the intervention because it is “harming the right to access housing”.

Speaking to Cadena Ser Radio, Ms Rodriguez explained: “This is more than Operation Camp which is the largest ever public housing promotion and I don’t want the centre of Madrid to be a theme park, but to remain a city.

“We will act in a precise and targeted way because tourist rentals in some regions are an opportunity for tourist dynamism but it has to be regulated according to that diversity.” The proposed legislation could result in individuals who own property in the designated at-risk zones being stripped of their deeds.

And these areas would be reclassified as "public domain", the Olive Press has said.