Canary Islands holidays: Warning as popular resort Los Abrigos in Tenerife infested with 'horrendous' cockroaches from sewers

In the stunning village of Los Abrigos, in the south of Tenerife, locals and tourists were joined by some unwelcomed guests that swarmed through the village during the busiest hours of the day. Fumigation of the the village's sewer system is done regularly by a company contracted by the local council, however the most recent check caused absolute chaos for businesses in the area.

Cockroaches had infested the local area taking both residents and tourists by surprise. While the inspections are often requested by local businesses, the fumigation began at 11am which is the busiest time for restaurants and cafes in the pedestrian area by the harbour.

Customers who were out enjoying a bit of brunch where interrupted by swarms of cockroaches which appeared from the sewers. Members of staff grabbed brooms and dustpans to fight the influx and prevent the pests from entering the premises, Canarian Weekly reports.

The main issue of the fumigation was the timing of it, which was criticsed by Rodrigo, manager of popular restaurant El Mirador. He said: "Instead of doing it at night or early in the morning, they decided to fumigate at 11am right when businesses are open."

Fortunately, the infestation had minimal impact on El Mirador as the restaurants doors were still closed at the time. He added: "The sewer grate where they came out is in full sun, and the shade from the nearby tree pushed them towards the cafe next door."

Some cockroaches got close to the entrances of businesses but thanks to the quick response of employees, there were no major inconveniences caused. However, this didn't stop the frustration that was sparked among business owners and locals.

According to Canarian Weekly, one local stated in the video that "the local police passed by and didn't intervene." One user posted on Facebook: “We were there at the time, it was horrendous”. Another user added: “Can’t bear them. Had one crawl over the bed once in Gran Canaria and had the whole room apart at 3am before I would go back to bed!”.