Brits take sunbed wars to new extreme by camping out on loungers overnight

Sunbed wars have escalated to an entirely new level as Brits have started camping out overnight so they can bag poolside loungers on holidays.

This summer has seenscenes likened to the Hunger Games as hotel guests have been upping the ante in a bid to get their favourite poolside spots.

Holidaymaker Ben Smith was recently left gobsmacked after he discovered the prime loungers were already nabbed - three hours before the pool even opened. Despite it still being pitch black outside, most of the poolside beds were occupied - seemingly by guests who had bedded down on them overnight to hold their place.

Ben, 30, from Sheffield, branded the bizarre scene a "vicious circle", and captured the incident on video while staying at the £259-a-night 4* Gf Fanabe Hotel in Tenerife.

READ MORE: Livid Brits take 'sunbed wars to a whole new level' with sneaky 2am tactics

READ MORE: Sunbed wars 'like scene out of Hunger Games' as frantic tourists rush to bag loungers

"People sleep on sun loungers to reserve their spot," Ben told Luxury Travel Daily. "They reserve the beds, but the hotel has a policy that if your bed is left unattended, they will remove the towels - so they just lay in them.

"Some even look to be asleep. It's a bit silly. I do get why people do it, but it's a vicious circle, so to speak. They're the ones creating the problem that they're aiming to avoid.

"If people didn't reserve beds they didn't need, then there wouldn't be an issue. I haven't seen the beds anywhere near full in terms of people, just towels.

"We got one bed between three of us the other day, and a lady kindly said we could have one of hers - it wasn't being used and she told us to take her towel off. I mean, in a sense, it's nice of her, but in another, why is her towel on it when she's not using it? It's mostly selfishness."

It's not just Tenerife which has been hit by the bizarre trend. Countless videos have surfaced of people frantically rushing to place their towels down on sunbeds and unofficially 'reserve' them. Some holidaymakers were spotted using a sneaky tactic which others dubbed as "pathetic", just so they could get into the pool.

However, this causes issues when people reserve a sunbed but don't return for hours at a time, meaning other people can't use the empty beds.

Hotels across various European hotspots have been trying to put in strict rules to try and mitigate the chaos. One couple was recently left furious after leaving their sunbeds and coming back to find a stern note from staff warning them that their belongings could be removed if left unattended for too long.

Meanwhile in Spain, there have been a number of measures introduced to stop the practice on beaches including hefty fines for rule-breakers in the likes of Barcelona and Costa Blanca. Under the regulations, beachgoers who reserve a sunbed or spot on the beach but leave it unattended for hours could face fines of €250.

Police have the power to remove unattended sunbeds or towels on the beach before 9.30am, with people's belongings being placed in a municipal depot, where holidaymakers can go and pick up their stuff and pay the on-the-spot fine.

Have you witnessed some baffling sunbed wars? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com.