Anti-tourism protests leave British woman fearing for her safety as dreamy purchase could lead to £68,000 loss

A retired British woman has been left fearing for her safety after anti-tourism protestors left her "looking over her shoulder" in her dream home and could risk losing £68,000 in order to sell it.

Roxanne Hughes, 72, says purchasing a holiday property in the Andalusian hilltop town of Ronda has become her greatest financial regret.

The retired business manager from Brighton paid €300,000 (£255,000) for a two-bedroom home five years ago upon retiring, drawn by its sweeping terrace views across cliff-hugging rooftops and the charm of the traditional whitewashed "pueblos blancos" she had first visited two decades earlier.

"I never thought one day I'd regret buying a holiday home in gorgeous Andalusia," she said. The Spanish property, featuring original majolica floors and dark roof tiles, has been on the market for a year without attracting a buyer.

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Ms Hughes, who is single and childless, had previously found life in Ronda far more affordable than her Brighton existence, comfortably saving more than a third of her state pension each month whilst dining out most evenings.

The growing wave of anti-tourism hostility that initially swept Spain's islands, coastline and major cities reached Ronda and surrounding white villages near Malaga roughly two years ago. Hughes described anti-tourist graffiti appearing on village walls, stones being hurled through B&B windows, and expatriates' vehicles being targeted.

"A Belgian friend of mine found his motorcycle rear-view mirrors shattered on the pavement one evening," she told the i newspaper.

Foreign residents and visitors have taken to avoiding English and French in supermarkets and shops, fearful of being identified as outsiders and having their car tyres slashed or windscreens cracked.

"I'm actually scared of going out for dinner or on night walks alone in Ronda now," Ms Hughes said. "I constantly look over my shoulder." Expatriates now move in groups, frequenting only establishments where they feel secure.

Her efforts to offload the property have proved fruitless, with Ms Hughes facing a potential €80,000 (£68,000) loss if she is forced to reduce the asking price to €220,000 (£187,000) by year's end.

A prospective British buyer recently expressed interest through her Spanish estate agent, only to withdraw immediately after fresh anti-tourist demonstrations erupted across the country.

"No foreigner seems interested in buying it, no matter how stunning it is," Ms Hughes said, adding Spanish residents appear reluctant to purchase homes previously owned by non-Spanish people. "They're a bit suspicious."

Since acquiring her Ronda property, she has not heard of any other foreigner buying in the area – a stark contrast to earlier years when the white villages attracted droves of overseas buyers eager to view available homes.

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"Sadly, my Ronda summer home is turning out to be a bad investment," she said.

Beyond the social tensions, Spain's intensifying climate has deepened Hughes's resolve to abandon Ronda.

She described humidity levels worsening dramatically in recent years, while the persistent threat of wildfires, particularly when driving through the backcountry, now haunts her.

"Climate change is here for good; there's no turning back," she said.

Her health has further complicated matters. Ms Hughes has recently developed high blood pressure and asthma, leading her to conclude Ronda's oppressive summer conditions are unsuitable for someone in her position.

"The thought of being caught in fires if I am driving on errands or to visit other places, particularly in the backcountry, haunts me," she said. She visited only once in May to begin packing belongings for shipment back to Britain, with no plans to return.

Ms Hughes argued the rationale for owning a Spanish holiday home has fundamentally shifted as British summers have grown warmer. When England's temperatures were cooler, year-round Mediterranean sunshine justified the investment, but that calculation no longer holds.

Should she eventually find a buyer for the Ronda property, she is weighing up a holiday home in Prague or Amsterdam instead. "At least, other than enjoying fresher summers, I won't have to worry about being a potential target of anti-tourism feelings," she said.

Approximately half a million people depart the UK annually to settle overseas, with a British Council survey finding 72 per cent of 18- to 30-year-olds would consider living and working abroad, citing reasons from the cost of living to poor weather.

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