Benidorm council chiefs have ordered bar owners to serve England fans their beer in plastic pint glasses on Sunday amid fears of violence.
Legions of Three Lions supporters plan to lay claim to the popular Spanish holiday destination for the Euro 2024 final, after being priced out of flights and accommodation for the England-Spain showdown in Berlin.
Public security councillor Jesus Carobles says he does not want any booze served in glass containers from 6pm local time – three hours before the start of the final.
And he has banned business owners in the town’s Little England area from setting up bars in the street on match day in a bid to keep a lid on any possible trouble.
Drones will also be used as part of a special police operation, with the focus being on Benidorm’s Rincon de Loix area which is area most popular with Britons.
Several streets there will be closed off and riot police brought in, while doorstaff along the notorious Calle Gerona strip are braced for a busy night.
A man in a green wig takes a break to sit down in Benidorm
Part of Gerona Street in Benidorm’s Little England area will be closed and parking restricted from Saturday night to facilitate pedestrian movement
Public security councillor Jesus Carobles says he does not want any booze served in glass containers from 6pm local time on Sunday
Benidorm is popular with English tourists, with many seeing it as a low-cost holiday destination
Tourists lark about in the centre of Benidorm, where extra security will be present on Sunday to deal with the anticipated influx of football fans
Doorman Stanislaw, of the Railway bar, told MailOnline: ‘The whole street will be full with football supporters on Sunday. It will be crazy.
‘The police will close off the street and we have taken on extra security. No one knows what will happen, but we are prepared for anything.
‘It will be a night to remember.
‘On Wednesday night (after England’s late victory over the Netherlands) you could not move on the street.
‘Every bar was full and the road too.
‘England fans were singing and dancing. They had their shirts off and were waving them in the area.’
Revellers were keeping the party feeling going a full day hours after England’s epic victory.
Groups of young men were chanting football songs and wolf-whistling women.
England fans in replica shirts watched the Three Lions’ last-gasp victory over the Netherlands in Benidorm on Wednesday
Benidorm is a popular destination for England fans wanting to watch the Euro 2024 final against Spain
England fans have already turned out in huge numbers in Benidorm to cheer on Gareth Southgate’s side during the team’s march to the final
Bars in the popular coastal resort have been told to use plastic instead of glass to serve England fans their pints on Sunday
England fans singing in a street in Benidorm and blocking traffic were attacked by an angry driver, in a moment caught on camera
One man appeared to have become disorientated and started undressing in the centre of the street.
Others grappled with sex toys, while babies tried to fall asleep in their prams.
Another man appeared to have run out of steam, falling asleep on the pavement still wearing a green party wig.
Meanwhile Spanish police patrolled the area, driving through the crowds at walking pace, but rarely intervening.
Yet Benidorm’s mayor Toni Perez has said he is confident the Euro 2024 final will be a ‘day of celebration for both sets of fans.’
But the special operation announced by the council shows it is not taking any chances, amid local reports supporters are expected to down a record 70,000 litres of beer on Sunday – 25,000 more than on a normal summer’s day.
Desperate England fans who cannot afford to be in Germany for the final have instead made plans to flock to Benidorm, with many expressing their excitement on social media at ‘retaking’ the town if England triumph.
One X user declared yesterday: ‘Benidorm will look like the last days of Rome on Sunday.’
Another joked: ‘A sensible country would airlift British citizens out of Benidorm before Sunday.
‘Either result guarantees a reasonable amount of rioting.’
Offering a detailed insight into the council’s plans to contain any trouble on match day, Benidorm Council said overnight: ‘Benidorm is going to deploy a special preventive operation on Sunday with the focus on the Rincon de Loix area.
‘Ten local police patrols will be reinforced by National Police UIP and UPR groups.
‘There will also be aerial surveillance, with the participation of two drones, one from the Local Police Air Unit and the other from the National Police.
Benidorm-born Mr Carrobles described the operation as ‘preventive’, saying: ‘Its function is to anticipate any behaviour that may occur at any given moment on the roads and in public spaces and ensure the fans of both teams can enjoy the matches and there are no incidents or problems.’
Benidorm mayor Toni Perez said he is confident the Euro 2024 final will be a ‘day of celebration for both sets of fans’
Calm before the storm: beaches in Benidorm, a popular holiday destination for thousands of Brits every year
Drones will be used as part of a special police operation, with the focus being on Benidorm’s Rincon de Loix area which is the resort’s most British area
Business owners in the town’s Little England area have been banned from setting up bars in the street on match day in a bid to keep a lid on any possible trouble
The special police operation will swing into action at 6pm on Sunday.
Part of Gerona Street in Benidorm’s Little England area will be closed and parking restricted from Saturday night to facilitate pedestrian movement.
If Luis de la Fuente’s team wins the final, the town’s Plaza de la Hispanidad square where Spain fans are expected to celebrate will be closed to traffic.
Benidorm Council said: ‘The monitoring of security and any incidents that might occur will be carried out from the Coordination Centre which will be located at the Benidorm Local Police Headquarters, where there will be local and national agents working together.
‘Another of the preventive measures is that bars and restaurants in Rincon de Loix won’t be able to set up bars in the street to serve drinks.’
Mr Carrobles added: ‘I am asking for the co-operation of these bars and restaurants and I have told them that from 6pm onwards they will not be able to serve drinks in glass containers.’
Benidorm mayor Toni Perez has insisted the town has ‘sufficient resources and experience to be able to deal with an event of this nature’.
He added overnight: ‘I am confident it will be a day of celebration for both fans where a fun and festive atmosphere reigns, with calm and good co-existence between Spaniards and England fans.’
The showdown comes amid increased tensions between Spanish locals and tourists in popular destinations.
Protests across the Canary Islands have seen residents take to the streets over claims foreign visitors are contributing to major environmental damage, pushing locals out of affordable housing and driving down wages.
Tourism bosses in Benidorm are keen to ensure similar sentiment does not reach their resort, which is heavily reliant on its seasonal visitors.
There have previously been tensions in the Benidorm after England fans chanting ‘Ten German Bombers’ were attacked by a furious local as they blocked a street, with video showing the brawl breaking out.
A group of rowdy Three Lions supporters sang the offensive chant as they celebrated England making it into the last 16 after drawing 0-0 with Slovenia.
The holiday destination is more than 1,000 miles from Berlin, but is still being considered a reasonable alternative for England fans to watch the match.
All of Ryanair’s 21 flights from UK airports to Berlin between yesterday and the final are sold out, while some airlines with spare capacity are charging five times more to travel before the game compared with a week later.
EasyJet’s 12 flights to Berlin from Birmingham, Bristol, Luton and Gatwick between today and the match are fully booked.