Brits ignore social distancing and pack a popular UK seaside resort while many Spain beaches remain empty after the Foreign Office banned travel to the country.
Fears of a second wave in Spain after a surge in coronavirus cases led to the UK government imposing a 14 day quarantine rule on all travellers returning from mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands and Canaries.
In popular tourist resorts in Spain, beaches have been roped off to ensure holidaymakers adhere to social distancing and some require sunbathers to wear face masks.
But pictures at Lyme Regis in Dorset today showed a very different scene.
Swarms of sunbathers and swimmers were seen soaking up the sun as it reached 22-degrees at the seaside resort.
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The mercury is set to rocket this week with temperatures expected to reach 33C on Friday.
The sweltering temperatures may comfort some of the thousands of people unable to travel to Spain after official advice changed.
Despite the travel ban defiant Brits have still been pictured flying in to Spanish airports but some resorts are like ghost towns, with no tourists to be spotted.
Photos taken on a beach today in Estepona, on the Costa del Sol, in Spain, showed an almost totally deserted beach
The eerie scene was in sharp contrast to the scenes captured in the UK today as Brits stayed home following the new travel ban.
A handful of sunbathers could be seen close to the shore but there was no problems with social distancing.
Similar scenes were captured at Fuengirola beach as sunbeds remained unused as tourists stay away.
In May, Spanish officials claimed it was the first beach to use artificial intelligence to keep down numbers.
But there was no need for any technology today, prompting fears that many businesses along the Costa Del Sol will not reopen after the pandemic, due to financial collapse.
Similarly, restaurants and bars have been hard hit without the huge numbers of Brits that normally descend for a summer holiday.
Spanish officials reacted in anger following the Foreign Office warning against travel to Spain, the Canary Islands and Balearics.
Spain's prime minister called the recent decision "disproportionate."
Pedro Sanchez told broadcaster Telecinco that Spanish officials were working to axe the policy for destinations like Valenica where the rate of infection is low.
In Ibiza, the normally raucous island looked like a ghost town as revellers stayed away.
The Balearic Government says people must wear face masks in all public spaces, excluding beaches, pools and when playing sports.
And the island's super clubs, such as Ushuaia, are currently closed, but open air venues such as O Beach are still open - though attendees must follow strict social distancing rules.
Holidaymakers who have flown to the White Island have reported positive experiences - although many venues are still closed.
Sam and Scott Finch flew out on July 16 from Manchester Airport with Jet2.
Sam told the M.E.N: “It’s been lovely being so quiet.
“Beaches here are very large and therefore social distancing for us was easy.
“It’s very quiet. Very few places are open. It seems that it will be opening up more from August 1."
Restaurants and bars across Spain have been forced to slash their capacity in order to comply with strict social distancing rules.
Many, like this steak restaurant in Torremolinos, have closed and gone on sale as owners fail to make it work.
The normal pictures capturing droves of Brits enjoying cheap beer and food haven't appeared this year as many holidaymakers have chosen to stay at home instead.
The government removed Spain from it's 'air bridge' list suddenly on Saturday night.
But some holidaymakers have jetted abroad despite official advice changing on July 25.
The travel ban was imposed after several regions of Spain recorded a spike in infections.
In particular, the regions of Aragon, Catalonia and Navarra have been hard-hit, with a total of 59,296 active cases.
Many airlines have pledged to continue their flights including easyJet and British Airways - although TUI and Jet2 have halted their holidays for now.
Holidaymakers overseas have spoke of their shock after the new measures dropped less than five hours after it was announced.
In Benalmadena, near Malaga on the Costa del Sol, the Mirror spoke to Claire Herstell, 47, who arrived on Friday with husband Graham, 48, and children Lynden, 14, and Laila, 13.
Claire, from Manchester said: “We had no idea this was going to happen. We were umming and ahhing about coming but because we booked it independently we would have lost all our money.
“If we knew this was going to happen we wouldn’t have come at all.”
But No10 warned that other countries could face similar restrictions if the rate of infection is deemed too high.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “Decisions on border measures and travel advice can be changed rapidly if necessary to help stop the spread of the disease.
“Unfortunately no travel is risk-free during this pandemic and disruption is possible.
“Anyone travelling abroad should be aware our travel advice and exemption list is under constant review.”
