Urgent holiday warning as ‘red alert’ issued for Costa Del Sol as temperatures set to soar to 42C

A RED weather alert has been activated for parts of the Costa del Sol as temperatures are set to rocket to 42C.

Scorching temperatures are set to sweep through Spanish holiday hotspot Malaga today.

According to Spain's weather service Aemet, the hottest part of the day will be between 1pm and 9pm local time.

Forecasters have warned temperatures could hit a sweltering 42C during this time.

A note on Aemet's website says: "The red warning threshold is expected to be reached at points in the metropolitan area of the city of Malaga and the lower part of the Guadalhorce valley."

On Thursday the warning will be downgraded to yellow as temperatures will drop to highs of 38C.

At night, temperatures will still remain between 26C and 29C until Friday.

Heatwaves have swept across southern Europe in recent weeks and wildfires erupted in the Spanish island of La Palma in July.

Weather experts have declared 2023 an El Niño year - a natural phenomenon that occurs cyclically and causes fluctuations in the global climate.

The UN’s World Meteorological Organization said it will raise temperatures around the world, and the effect is likely to continue for the rest of the year.

And despite the heat this summer, Europe's record temperature of 48.8C - recorded in 2021 in Sicily - has not been reached and is currently not forecast to be broken.

It comes as holidaymakers in Spain have been warned they could face a £260 fine for hogging prime beach spots using towels and sun shades.

Torrox has become the third town in Malaga to introduce fines from £43 to £260 for those who reserve a spot at the beach.

The move comes after fed-up locals reported not being able to find a spot on the beach in the morning with tourists reserving spots by plonking down umbrellas, chairs, and towels before going back to their hotels.

One told local media that the practice is so widespread it is impossible for locals to "get up later than eight in the morning because otherwise, they won't have a spot".

Spanish police said that if they find unattended belongings on the beach, they will wait for one hour and, if no one returns within that time, the items will be seized.

If the confiscated items are not claimed within the next ten days they will be destroyed.

The tourists must pay the fine to get them back if they are claimed.

Similar bans are in place in the towns of Velez and Algarrobo, while authorities in Gandia, Torrevieja, Cullera, and Oropesa del Mar in Valencia also dish out financial penalties to offenders.