A “DRUNK” tourist has been arrested after stealing a bulldozer and flipping it down a quarry in Majorca.
Police have arrested a 26-year-old German man following the incident in the party resort of S’Arenal, near the island’s capital Palma, on Sunday.
SolarpixA drunk German tourist has been arrested after stealing and flipping over a bulldozer in Majorca[/caption]
SolarpixLocal police arrive at the scene, in which the German national was seriously hurt[/caption]
AFP or licensorsThe man is said to have been under the influence of alcohol when attempting to pull off the crazy stunt[/caption]
ReutersActivists have recently taken to the streets of Majorca’s capital Palma to protest against tourists and their bad reputations[/caption]
The idiotic 26-year-old cheated death after overturning the 25-tonne, €350,000 (£295,000) vehicle on the edge of a steep drop at the quarry he broke into near his hotel.
He was held after running to a nearby house covered in blood to seek help.
The quarry owners say the bulldozer is a write-off and are pressing charges against the holidaymaker who now faces a criminal probe and a huge compensation bill.
Police sources said today he was lucky to be alive as it overturned right by a 30ft drop.
The shocking incident comes off the back of recent reports that Germans are now the most troublesome tourists in Majorca – overtaking badly-behaving Brits in Magaluf.
The privately-owned quarry had been shut since 1pm the previous day.
It is not yet clear what the unnamed German was trying to do with the bulldozer, a W270 Fiat Hitachi, although well-placed sources said they suspected he might have been intending to drive it back to his hotel as a joke.
Officers said they were unable to confirm local reports the holidaymaker was drunk when he pulled off his crazy stunt, although well-placed sources on the island said he was under the influence of alcohol at the time.
A spokesman for the National Police in Majorca said: “National Police officers in Palma have detained a 26-year-old German for entering a quarry and driving a bulldozer he ended up overturning, causing considerable damage to it and suffering injuries himself.
“The incident happened around 7.30pm on Sunday in Playa de Palma.
“The man who ended up being arrested went to a private home for help saying he’d jumped over the quarry perimeter fence and taken the bulldozer before crashing it.
“The quarry owner was also in that property when the police arrived and responded by calling for an ambulance so they could tend to the injured tourist before he was arrested.”
The firm the heavy machinery belonged to says it is going to have to buy a replacement, and the cost of it being out of service has been put at around €10,000 (£8,500) a day.
A fuel leak caused by the crash also had to be cleaned up.
One insider said: “Whatever the tourist was intending to do, it’s going to cost him a small fortune.”
The German has already appeared before a judge, although it was not immediately clear today what the outcome had been.
It comes after eight “stag do” Brits were arrested over a punch-up on a beach in Majorca late last month were ordered to hand over £850 each to recover their passports.
Brit groom Connor Lorimer, 29, was arrested alongside seven of his pals during his stag do after the celebration turned into a violent punch-up that left bar staff and cops injured.
They spent two nights in a police cell with six friends before being bailed by a judge and told to fork out almost £1,000 to recover their passports.
New rules in the Balearic Islands
THE Spanish government has some strict rules in place for those visiting Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza.
Certain restaurants have dress codes, banning tops without straps, swimwear or football kits.
Holidaymakers can also be fined for walking around topless or in a state of undress while not on the beach.
You could even get into trouble for driving topless.
At some hotels, men might have to wear proper trousers for dinner.
Authorities in Majorca are cracking down on tourists by imposing fresh bans on drinking on the streets and graffiti.
Any tourist breaching the new rules could be slapped with a fine of £1,300.
The penalty can be increased up to £2,600, in case the grounds of the offence are more serious.
Fines for graffiti, vandalism and loud slogans have also been increased to £2,600.
If minors are found to commit graffiti vandalism, their parents will be held responsible – and will be forced to pay the fine.
Flooding the streets with banners, posters and advertising brochures is now prohibited.
Destroying listed buildings, monuments, and other important public areas would be considered a serious offence – and could attract fines of up to £2,600
The investigation into the May 29 incident at upmarket Balneario Illetas beach club a short drive from Palma is continuing.
Two German tourists have already fallen to their deaths so far this year in Playa de Palma, east of the island capital.
The party resort has been making more headlines than Brit-dominated Magaluf of late because of badly-behaved Germans.
Last month riot police were forced to use rubber bullets to disperse a group of German football hooligans running wild.
The holidaymaker bad behaviour has helped fuel the increasing anti-mass tourism protests in places like Majorca and Ibiza.
Last week, hordes of anti-tourist protesters took over Majorca’s beaches in the latest efforts to squeeze out foreigners.
Pictures showed families and other locals gathered under umbrellas covered in the slogan “Ocupem Les Nostres Platges”, which translates into: “We occupy our beaches”.
However, tourist bosses in Majorca say they fear for their businesses if activists continue to stage protests aimed at driving out British visitors.
A charter boat owner revealed he had been getting emails from clients asking if it was still safe to visit the Spanish isle.
Anti-tourist measures sweeping hotspots
A WAVE of anti-tourist measures are being implemented across Europe to curb mass tourism in popular holiday hotspots.
Overcrowding has become the main problem in many sunny destinations, with authorities trying to find a solution to keep tourists and locals happy.
Officials have attempted to reduce the impact of holidaymakers by implementing additional taxes on tourists, or banning new hotels.
Earlier this year Venice became the first city in the world to charge an entry fee for holidaymakers after it started charging day-trippers €5 (£4.30) if visiting the historical Italian centre.
It was followed by an area in Barcelona which resorted to removing a well-used bus route from Apple and Google Maps to stop crowds of tourists from using the bus.
Meanwhile, San Sebastián in the north of Spain, limited the maximum number of people on guided visits to 25 to avoid congestion, noise, nuisance and overcrowding.
The city has already banned the construction of new hotels.
The Spanish government has allowed restaurants to charge customers more for sitting in the shade in Andalucia.
Benidorm has introduced time restrictions, as swimming in the sea between midnight and 7am could cost a whopping £1,000.
The Canary Islands are also considering adopting measures to regulate the number of visitors – and charge tourists a daily tax.
Greece has already enforced a tourist tax during the high season (from March to October) with visitors expected to pay from €1 (£0.86) to €4 (£3.45) per night, depending on the booked accommodation.
Officials in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia want to introduce a fee for travellers to remind people to be courteous during their trips.
Riot police armed with weapons and rubber bullets charged towards German football fans last month
Officers chased after them down the strip as horrified tourists watched on in horror
The football ultras could be seen running off into the distance