Spain warned new accommodation 'ban' for UK tourists is 'too little too late'

A fresh Spain travel warning has been issued to UK tourists after locals see their lives "ruined" by Airbnbs. The European Union holiday hotspot, which is popular with British holidaymakers, has warned unruly visitors staying in Airbnb flats have "destroyed lives".

Malaga residents have spoken out over tourists who now occupy half of the units in his apartment block. Alejandro Villen spoke to TV channel La Sexta about the anxiety he endures "every weekend", not knowing what type of tourists will turn up next door.

He said: "They come back drunk and don't know how to open the door and start kicking it ... when I was president I had to make loads of repairs myself due to the damages they caused." He added: "It has destroyed my life, because every weekend it is like a lottery and it fills me with anxiety.

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"Every weekend I knew that I was going to call the police, there was going to be conflict, there was going to be a fight, and when the police come, they tell them off by saying 'hey, behave yourselves', it was like a constant groundhog day."

He criticised the timing of new regulations requiring a majority of neighbours to consent to Airbnb-style accommodations in their buildings, labelling them as "arriving too late". He said: "It has come too late for me, because it is not retroactive, and too late for the whole city centre."

Malaga has banned short-term rentals as it becomes the latest European hotspot to crack down on Airbnb. City rules will forbid the creation of new holiday lets in areas that locals say have become saturated by tourist accommodation.

In the 43 areas of the city that will impose the ban, up to 8 per cent of all housing is now short-term lets advertised on platforms such as Airbnb.