The Spanish tourist resort of Benidorm is clamping down on shops that display lewd or 'offensive' items in their windows - fearing that they tarnish the area's image and upset passers-by.
The items include joke t-shirts and souvenirs with sexual messages on them, which tend to be on display in its so-called 'Guiri zone' - the central area that caters to foreign tourists.
Products are often advertised in English, due to the high number of British people that visit each year.
Javier Jordá, the head of commerce in the city hall, stated the crackdown aims to ensure that minors or vulnerable communities are not exposed to offensive messages in public spaces.
He added that 'certain commercial activities have been detected which can be deemed inconsistent' with Benidorm's laws.
Situated on Spain's eastern Mediterranean coast, Benidorm is one of the country's best-known tourist destinations, drawing close to three million visitors last year, with over 830,000 being British.
Local laws dictate that shop windows 'must not show products that might hurt people's moral sensitivity', including 'sexy articles'. The regulation does not affect items sold inside shops.
The city is beginning the clampdown by reminding shop owners of this regulation and asking them to remove from their windows any items which may violate it. Failure to comply could lead to penalties of up to €3,000 (£2,614).
However, Mr. Jordá expressed hope that such measures would not be necessary. 'We don't want it to come to that, but we must guarantee respect for the rule and that the right image is given of the city,' he noted.
Last year, Spain welcomed a record 94 million foreign visitors, with the UK, France, and Germany leading the numbers. The most popular spots are resorts along the Mediterranean and islands like the Canaries and Balearics.
Concerns over over-tourism have prompted Spain's tourism industry to shift away from the traditional sun-and-sand model, leading to growing calls for a more balanced approach to tourism.
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