Thousands of British owned homes in Spain could be bulldozed under government plans to demolish thousands of beachside properties.
The Socialist government is targetting nearly 500 miles of the country's coastline in popular expat areas including the Canary Islands and Costa del Sol.
Environment ministers behind the plan insisted they intend to negotiate compensation packages as part of what they deem a "carrot over stick" approach.
But they refused to guarantee that bulldozers would not move in if talks with regional governments and town halls failed.
Ministers have set their sights on homes and hotels built illegally on beaches and 350 feet of land behind them.
They plan to target 482 miles of Atlantic and Mediterranean coastline - in areas including the Balearic Islands, the Costa Blanca, the Costa del Sol, Cadiz and the Canaries.
DailyMail
