British tourists warned they are risking their lives with 'dirty' Benidorm cocktails

Unscrupulous hawkers are trawling the beaches selling defective alcohol and unsanitary fruit

Holidaymakers at the popular Spanish resort have been warned only to buy alcohol from the beachfront bars (Getty)

Holidaymakers in Benidorm have been warned against potentially lethal cocktails being sold by unscrupulous hawkers in the Spanish resort.

Unlicensed hawkers are trawling the beaches selling cocktails made with substandard alcohol and fruit which has been left to rot in the sun, officials in the Spanish town have warned.

Many of these drinks are also prepared in unsanitary conditions such as crouched in doorways, on the floor and even on the tyres of parked cars before being sold for €5 (£4.40) each.

One British tourist, Val Spencer, told the Daily Star she had seen the sellers in action.

She said: "God knows what's in them. One guy mixing them was filthy.

"He used his hands to grab ice from a bucket and was back on the beach selling the same cocktails.

"Loads of youngsters were buying them but they're better off going to a beach bar for a drink."

Local officials have put up posters, issued leaflets and posted on social media begging holidaymakers to avoid the sellers.

Undercover police have even begun patrolling the beach since the beginning of the tourist season in a bid to crack down on the trade.

The problem has become so acute the town’s mayor, Toni Perez, is reportedly considering allowing the licensed bars along the shoreline to begin selling drinks on the beach to drive drive the illegal sellers out of business.