Benidorm warns UK tourists it will use ‘drones’ to ‘watch them’

Benidorm is set to deploy DRONES to keep an eye on England and Spain fans watching Euro 2024 and the final between the two nations this Sunday. England booked their spot in the final by defeating the Netherlands in Dortmund on Wednesday night.

Spain, meanwhile, beat France a night earlier. To stave off any trouble between Brits abroad and Spanish locals, Benidorm has announced the council will implement extra security focusing on the busy Rincon de Loix area.

Some streets will be closed off, drinks will not be sold in glass containers from 6pm, and the police will use two drones to monitor the city. The city’s Citizen Security councillor, Jesus Carrobles, said the operation is very much ‘preventive’ in nature.

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“The aim is to anticipate any behavior that may happen on roads and public spaces to ensure fans of the two teams can enjoy the match without any incidents,” said Carrobles. The operation will begin three hours before the 9pm kick-off with traffic being barred from some streets.

The areas namechecked as affected include a section of Calle Gerona between Avenidas Europa and Derramador. The Local Police plans to close off traffic on Avenida de l’Aiguera and the Plaza de la Hispanidad, and says all Rincon de Loix hospitality venues will not be able to serve drinks in the streets.

Benidorm mayor, Toni Perez, said: “This will be a day of celebration for the two groups of fans, where a playful and festive atmosphere reigns of quiet and good coexistence between Spaniards and the English.”

“In the last two games we have spoken about Switzerland and the Netherlands and how they keep the ball, but we kept the ball as good, if not better,” Arsenal star Declan Rice said ahead of the final this weekend. “I felt really good with Kobbie in there, playing really close together. Stones and the back three have really helped. Jude and Phil in the 10s has really helped.

“When we’ve sat back in we’ve felt solid. The improvement from the last Euros on the back five is that we’re keeping the ball much better. You have players at club level that are used to taking the ball under pressure and playing in pockets.”