Main strip in Benidorm on lockdown as police in riot gear raid pubs and nightclubs

Bars and nightclubs in Benidorm were said to be closed for the best part of an hour on Wednesday night.

Tourists in the popular resort of Benidorm in Spain had their night out disrupted on Wednesday, when police in riot gear raided several bars and nightclubs on the main strip. According to yourbenidorm.co.uk, the heavy police presence was reportedly linked to a number of violent clashes between police and bouncers and is the latest in a series of efforts to clamp down on local bars supplying or providing a platform to sell drugs. Footage recorded by holidaymaker Scott Ritchie showed police in riot gear moving between a number of establishments on the main strip while people waited outside. Ritchie said that the bars were closed for an hour before reopening and normal service resumed. Clip via Facebook/Scott Ritchie via Storyful Benidorm, located in the Alicante province in the southeast of Spain, is particularly popular with British holidaymakers. Another resort popular amongst tourists from Britain, Magaluf, recently introduced noise restrictions in bars and restaurants in addition to laws introduced in 2015 in an effort to crack down on anti-social behaviour in the area.