The number of British tourists making false claims on their travel insurance has reached epidemic proportions, according to Spanish hoteliers. And now even risks raising the cost of holidays to Spain whilst also damaging the UK´s reputation abroad.

The scam is said to have cost the Spanish hotel industry over 50 million pounds last year alone. As a growing number of tourists from the UK on all inclusive packages claim to have contracted food poisoning whilst staying at hotels across the country - a trend that rose by 700% on Mallorca alone during 2016.

Now, any tourist submitting a fraudulent claim could be prosecuted, as Spanish hoteliers intend to toughen their stance. Pointing out that if food poisoning was really so rife as this rising level of claims suggests a worldwide health alert would have been triggered.

According to ABTA, British tourists are being targeted by unscrupulous claims management companies, both in resort and domestically - resulting in a rising rash of false claims that is undermining the reputation of UK holidaymakers.