UK tourists in Tenerife retreat to hotel rooms and 'too scared to leave'

UK tourists are TOO SCARED to leave their hotel rooms in the Canary Islands after furious protests broke out in the holiday hotspot. European Union holidaymakers have been shut up in their ROOMS amid growing unrest and demonstrations over so-called overtourism.

Thousands of demonstrators swarmed resorts on the Canary Islands, most notably Tenerife, on Sunday. Lee Pattemore, 44, was trapped inside the Riu hotel with wife Stacey, 39, and their two daughters, aged 11 and six. He told The Sun: “They were circling the hotel. My daughter was asking me, ‘Daddy, why are they shouting?’”

Landscaping boss Lee, of Epsom, Surrey, said: “There was a lot of pushing and shoving. We’re too scared to leave the hotel now.” Activist Daniel Cabrera said: “We want tourism — we do not want over-exploitation and garbage tourism that does not benefit the local economy.”

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Locals say tourism has priced locals out of the housing market and has caused problems with traffic, water and sewage. The local government has ignored their concerns, they added. They held signs labelled: "Can't wait to get off work and swim in sewage" and "your luxury, my misery".

One protester said: "Mass tourism causes us a lot of problems, both in terms of traffic, water and sewage." Another protester explained: "It is not normal that we Canarians have to leave our land to be able to live comfortably".

One tourist from Scotland said: "Some people are coming here and they are not respecting the culture. They are not respecting the locals. They are not respecting the island. And those other people who are coming here and they are respecting the culture and respecting the island.

"So I would say Tenerife relies on tourism, you know, but it doesn't mean that anybody can come and abuse this island, you know." Another Scottish tourist said: "On behalf, I do apologise, but what a beautiful place. We come here, and we are respectful to the island."