Tourists warned of danger of working as touts

Young tourists are being warned of the dangers of becoming touts for bars and clubs in Majorca, where some are being treated like modern-day slaves, according to the Foreign Office.

An undercover investigation found that many young Britons working as touts have their passports seized by employers, are charged high rents and paid low wages.

The Foreign Office also discovered that 20 of the 25 Britons in prison on the Balearic island are former touts.

As a result of the investigation, Border Force is carrying out a week-long campaign to raise awareness.

Touts – who are also called PRs – are hired to lure holidaymakers into bars with cheap drinks.

The investigation, which was conducted by criminologists, also found women were subject to sexual abuse from customers and male touts were attacked or bullied while at work.

Lloyd Milen, the British Consul for Barcelona and the Balaeric Islands, told the BBC: "We commissioned some independent research, which showed us that many PR workers ended up in serious debt, many were working illegally, some had their passports retained and others faced repeated sexual harassment and assault."

The research also revealed that some of the touts took up drug dealing to make ends meet, whilst others began to have problems with alcohol.

Immigration minister Caroline Nokes said: "By highlighting the issue we want to ensure that those contemplating PR work in Majorca, many of whom are tourists tempted by the idea of an extended stay in the sunshine, do not find their summer turning into a nightmare."

The modern day slavery charity, Unseen, will be visiting airports and targeting flights to the island with leaflets to ensure young people heading out there are cautious.

Justine Currell, one of the charity’s directors, said: "It can be really hard to tell the scale of the problem as the people doing the jobs can seem quite happy.

"But they can be stuck in situations where they are not allowed to leave, they don’t have their passports and are forced to pay extortionate amounts of rent.

"We just want them to know that they have somewhere to turn – they can call our confidential helpline and there is help available."

Fashion vlogger Jasmine Clough is releasing a video to warn her 200,000 followers to be careful if they choose to work abroad.

The Foreign Office advises that anyone who is overseas and has had their passport taken should first report it to the police.

British nationals should then contact the local British Consulate for help and advice and to get a replacement.