BRITS bringing home cheap souvenirs from Spain this summer could be fined as much as £170. Local cops are trying to crack down on illegal and unlicensed vendors in popular holiday destinations. 4 The new rules have been brought in to cut down on unlicensed vendors Credit: Alamy 4 Street vendors are known for selling knock-off clothes, watches and sunglasses Credit: Alamy 4 The vendors are often seen in streets and on beaches Credit: Alamy They have brought in the new rules to try and prevent people from buying from them.
Plain-clothed officers are set to be out and about on the streets of Costa Blanca throughout the holiday season. They will be handing out fines to anyone caught buying goods from the street sellers. The vendors are known locally as "manteros" and will usually sell products, often cheap fakes, from the top of a blanket.
They include sunglasses, sarongs, handbags and other souvenirs, all flogged at suspiciously cheap prices. Their customers could be hit with a maximum fine of €200 (£170) as a means to dissuade people from using them. The news has gone down well with officials in Spain, including the Mayor of Torrevieja, who has even requested more police officers to make sure the rules are properly enforced.
It has also led to officials from the nearby Costa del Sol to demand similar fines for anyone caught buying from "looky looky men" who are well-known for selling cheap merch to tourists in the summer. Most read in News Travel FORGOTTEN VICTIMS Fears som.