Thousands of Brit expats quit Spain amid fears foreigners will be treated badly after Brexit and a plunge in the value of the pound
Benidorm experienced its worst summer in a decade with Brits opting for holidays in Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt instead
THOUSANDS of British expats living in Spain have left the country amid fears about Brexit and the pound's worst rate against the euro in nearly a year.
Around 5,000 Brits are thought to have been living in Benidorm on the eastern coast of Spain before the 2007 financial crash - but that number fell to 2,825 last year.
In the same period, nearly 5,000 left Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca, .
By 2017 14,981 expat Brits remains on the islands, down from 19,803 in 2007.
Some of those leaving fear Brexit will impact negatively on their lives abroad while others say life in Spain has become too expensive.
Others say all-inclusive resorts are hitting turnover for shops and bars, many run by Brits who have settled there.
Benidorm has had its worst summer in nearly a decade as tourists turn to Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt.
Yesterday, Sterling fell to its lowest against the euro in nearly a year. The drop resulted from Prime Minister Theresa May playing down the effect of a 'No Deal' Brexit.
May told reporters while in Africa that failing to reach an agreement with the EU on trade relations 'wouldn't be the end of the world'.
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May's comments were seen as undermining Chancellor Philip Hammond's warnings of economic damage from a 'No Deal' Brexit and piled pressure on the pound.
In March, said the number of Brits living in Spain had dropped from around 400,000 to 240,000 - a fall of 160,000.