Brits holidaying in Canary Islands warned of fines over taking simple item like souvenir

Instead of buying a keyring or a fridge magnet as a reminder of their holiday, a lot of people prefer to bring a piece of the place they have visited home with them.

But if you're heading to the Canary Islands, taking a token from your travels back to the UK could land you in big trouble.

Brits have been warned to resist picking up sand, stones or rocks from beaches in the holiday hotspot as they could end up being slapped with a huge fine as a result.

The Canary Islands are cracking down on light-fingered tourists who are wreaking havoc on its ecosystems and disrupting the natural balance of the shorelines by swiping a few keepsakes while catching a few rays on the coast.

In a bid to deter people from helping themselves to pretty pebbles and cupfuls of sand, authorities have introduced hefty financial penalties which range from £128 to a whopping £2,563.

The amount is said to depend on the quantity of rocks, stones or sand the traveller is attempting to swipe from the beach.

Popular destinations such as Lanzarote and Fuerteventura have been some of the worst affected areas, as several natural spaces have come under threat due to people swiping the so-called souvenirs.

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These places are among others who are struggling to cope with the 'loss of natural material due to the actions of tourists', forcing officials to bring the laws in, according to Canarian Weekly.

Lanzarote is reportedly fleeced for around a ton of natural materials from its protected beaches each year, while Fuerteventura's famous 'Popcorn Beach' is regularly ravaged for it's white algae fossils which look exactly like the cinema snack - hence it's name.

The natural site, near Corralejo on the north of the island, loses around a ton of its stunning 'sand' each month - so you can understand why people in the Canaries are concerned.

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Holidaymakers who are caught with these kind of mementos will be charged with a minor offence, which usually costs them around £128 to £512 in fines.

But if you're attempting to smuggle a large amount of stones, rocks or sand home, you will face a much harsher punishment and are likely to receive the maximum fine of £2,563.

Officials are said to have faced difficulty when determining if a tourist has swiped a keepsake from one of the protected beaches, as it is a struggle to identify where the items originally came from.

Throughout last year, a staggering 5.6 million Brits visited the Canary Islands - and if we all took a pocketful of sand home, there would be nothing left of the beaches this year.