Idyllic island loved by Brits 'at risk of collapse' as tourists given stern warning

When it comes to a fortnight in the sunshine, Brits love nowhere more than Spain and its islands.

More than 15 million of us headed there last year, which was more than double the second most visited country by UK residents. Those heading there this year should pay attention to a new £97 rule.

But one Spanish island is now at risk of 'collapse', with locals taking it upon themselves to self-police what they call 'tourist overcrowding'.

Unofficial signs, banners and slogans have cropped up across the island, with large swathes of the island seemingly 'shut' due to tourism issues.

Other stickers have been plastered across buildings with anti-tourism messages with one saying 'it's not tourism it's an invasion'.

The unofficial action against tourists is happening across Lanzarote, which forms part of the Canary Islands off of the east coast of Africa.

With more than two million people living across the main islands of Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and La Palma, residents have become fed up with those who keep visiting.

Aerial view of Playa Blanca and Montana Roja, Lanzarote (Getty Stock Images)

Those opposed to tourism say the impacts of it put the island at risk of 'collapsing socially and environmentally'.

Residents of the island will take to the streets on 20 April in a protest against tourism, chanting 'Lanzarote has a limit'.

Similar movements have sprung up across Fuerteventura, Tenerife, La Palma, and Gran Canaria.

The messaging is at complete odds with the political leadership of the islands, with Canary Island president Fernando Clavijo asking tourists to keep coming to the archipelago.

Clavijo said: "We are worried because tourism is our main source of income and I think that whoever comes here to enjoy, to spend a few days and to leave their money in the Canary Islands, shouldn’t be rebuked or face insults."

Charco de San Ginés at city of Arrecife, Lanzarote (Getty Stock Images)

The president also said that locals should be 'responsible' in their protests given the millions UK tourists bring to the islands every year through their holidays.

Some who run businesses in the Canary Islands tourism industry are starting to worry about the impact the protests could have on their livelihood and those of their employees if business were to suffer.

One of the beaches on the southern tip of the island of Lanzarote is Playa Papagayo (Getty Stock Images)

Jorge Marichal, a hotel chain boss on the island, said: "One of the problems I am facing is that clients are beginning to call and ask what’s happening here and whether it’s safe.

"It’s happening in some hotels."

Asociacion Tinerfena de Amigos de la Naturaleza (ATAN), a Gran Canaria urban development group, released a statement saying: "The situation is alarming."