More than 230 sunbeds were destroyed on popular beaches in Tenerife, the latest in a series of protests against overtourism in the Canary Islands.

Authorities said sunbeds were sprayed and others were cut with material in the Arona area of ​​the island last week. Canary weekly newspaper Reports.

The Arona city council said 100 sunbeds were damaged at the popular Las Vistas beach, while another 136 were destroyed at neighboring El Camisón beach, with damage exceeding 5,000 euros (£4,139), according to the local news agency.

Vandals had also defaced the exterior walls of a nearby shopping center with graffiti and posted anti-tourism slogans such as “Canarias is defiant“ (the Canary Islands defend themselves) and “Canarias no se vende” (the Canary Islands are not for sale).

Fátima Lemes, the mayor of Arona, criticized the vandalism, saying the acts were “an attack on the heritage of Arona” that harmed both residents and visitors.

Lemes added that vandalism like this is a criminal offense and called on the public to help identify those responsible.

“The people of Arona are very conscious of protecting our environment, but unfortunately there are always exceptions that endanger the common good, which amounts to an attack on all of us,” she said.

Authorities are working to repair the sunbeds and restore the area for public use.

Braulio Melián Pérez, the manager of El Enyesque SL, the company that manages beach services near Los Cristianos, told the Canary weekly newspaper that they had “been without beach police for two years” and called for the reintroduction of night patrols in the area.

Melián Pérez added that almost 10 percent of their 1,100 beds were destroyed and replacing the damaged beds could take up to a month.

“This is the biggest attack we have faced in eight years,” added Melián Pérez. “Almost all of the people who use these loungers are holidaymakers. This was a direct attack on them and therefore on the local economy.”

The incident came after months of tourism protests and criticism of the industry by locals in the Canary Islands.

On April 20, thousands took to the streets of Tenerife to protest against mass tourism and called for a limit on tourist arrivals to ease pressure on the island’s environment and housing market.

Protests erupted again in late October as thousands of locals gathered in popular seaside resorts on Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and El Hierro, demanding a change to the islands’ tourism model.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast