Italians fined for beach hogging

Italian holidaymakers fleeing overpriced private beaches have met a new enemy on the scant public sand: lone bathers who arrive at dawn and reserve space with towels for sleeping friends and relatives.

After complaints, coastguard officials at the Ligurian resort of Diano Marina got up at first light to dish out fines of €1,032 (£700) each to six early risers, one an 83-year-old who had unrolled 10 towels by 6am. "Using public space yourself is one thing, but reserving it for use by others is illegal," said Danilo Manconi, the local coastguard vice-commander. "We have received messages of congratulation ever since and we will be back."

He said all six "beach hoggers" were over 60, reflecting the holiday habit of dispatching grandparents to bag space.



Mayor Angelo Basso said the unnamed man had visited him to beg for clemency. "I will look into whether I can annul some of the fines levied since one should be able to put down towels for a wife and child," he said. "But 10 towels is a bit different."

Coastguard officials have also been busy at nearby Chiavari, where bathers leave umbrellas and chairs padlocked overnight on the sand. Using bolt cutters, officials confiscated the equipment.

A consumer group last week issued a good manners beach guide, advising people to switch their mobile phones to vibrate mode, not to haggle loudly with beach vendors and to fetch children who stray, instead of screaming at them.