Joe Duggan (Reporter)
IT’S a uniform as British as the Tower of London’s Beefeaters.
But Marbella tourists sporting socks and sandals, bikini tops around the old town and shorts at night will soon be hit with fines.
New regulations are set to hit hapless holidaymakers who fall foul of new town fashion laws.
A sliding scale of fines comes into effect from next month, with sandals and white socks incurring a whopping €100 fine.
Bikini-wearing and shorts infractions could bring in fines of up to €200.
“It’s a scandal,” said enraged Brit Paul McTackle, 44, from Scunthorpe, who is on holiday with his family for Easter.
“I’ve worn sandals with socks with pride from the Costa del Sol to Cadiz.
“Now some faceless bureaucrat wants to spoil our fun.”
The policy has been introduced in a bid to make Marbella definitively the most upmarket resort in Spain.
“We want to make a difference,” a local councillor told the Olive Press this week.
“We are concerned that a spate of downmarket tourism TV shows like TOWIE and The Only Way Is Marbs are cheapening our image.
“We want to get back to the more glamorous days of the 60s and 70s and compete with resorts like St Tropez.”
I am outraged! Are people riddled insanely lately? For older order laments?….
Re-e-el ’em in! :)
Lol, although nothing would surprise me it is April first.
Bit obvious that one OP. Or maybe there’s a more subtle one hidden away?
As a dedicated sandal and socks man, I’ve just cancelled my holiday there, going to Margate where they are much more accepting of the fashion
Hee-hee. Guess what day it is!
Being a member of the Marbella Tourist Board the leaking to OP regarding the banning of socks and sandals in Marbella old town caused me to question the Mayor as to the leakage. In his usual Spanish explanation he insisted it was purely to drum up more business for Marbella and continued to explain that he thought that a Cote D’Aur would be a pulling factor for the Costa Del Sol until I explained that France already has one. “Do they” he replied.
It can be against the constitution.