Heading back to their hotel after a boozy night out, this is the moment two British holidaymakers are pickpocketed in Magaluf by muggers posing as street traders.

One of the tourists tries to stop his food from being taken, but as he does so, the thief grabs him, turns him round and, in one quick movement, dips into his pocket.

Barely a second later the thief walks off with what looks like a wallet or a phone as the confused holidaymaker stumbles forward, unaware he has been robbed.

The shocking CCTV footage, taken in the early hours of Sunday on Magaluf strip, was given to MailOnline by bar owners who say criminal gangs who traffic prostitutes and rob holidaymakers are turning Magaluf into a tourist no-go zone.

Shocking footage shows a gang of pickpockets mugging two British holidaymakers in the early hours of Sunday in an example of how crime gangs are putting off tourists, according to locals

Gangs of trafficked Nigerian and Senegalese women, pictured right as a group of holidaymakers (left) walk past, are luring drunk men into sex only to then rob them, locals say

A group of vigilante business owners and ex-pats protesting about street prostitutes and muggers talk to police about the problem they say is turning Magaluf into a tourist no go zone

The mob have set up a Facebook group called 'Clean up Magaluf' with 2,600 members and have taken to the streets to drive out prostitutes they say are frightening away British tourists

Magaluf has long been a favourite holiday hotspot for British tourists, although visitor numbers are down more than seven per cent on last year, which locals blame on crime caused by prostitutes and their gang masters posing as street traders who pickpocket and mug victims

Gangs of trafficked Nigerian and Senegalese women are luring drunk men into sex only to then rob them, the locals say.

The women are brought over from impoverished cities in West Africa by gang masters often without the money to pay for their journey and are forced to work to pay off their debt to the traffickers, according to investigators.

Protestors have clashed with the women they accuse of driving holidaymakers away - as tourism in Magaluf has fallen seven per cent in the last 12 months.

The traffickers, like the thieves in the video, pose as street traders - known as 'looky looky' men – who wander the streets hawking goods like sunglasses or novelty hats.

The men also target either lone or drunk tourists walking back to their hotels in the early hours along the strip.

A British bar owner, from London, who asked not to be named said: 'The pickpockets and prostitutes are part of the same gang who hang around outside the bars in the early hours picking off stragglers.

'The women pretend to be prostitutes and throw their arms around these young lads, clearly worse the wear for drink, and when they're distracted they pickpocket them.

'The men pretend to be 'looky looky' sellers and operate in the same way, distracting their victims and then rifling through their pockets.

'I've been here for years so I know who the genuine 'looky looky' men and they are decent hard-working individuals who are trying to earn a bit of cash.

'The bogus ones, like the two in that video, take advantage of the fact that most tourists happily interact with the street-sellers and are not at all wary of them.

'The police don't seem to do anything about it so it's got to the point where bar owners won't bother sending them CCTV footage anymore.

Police on quad bikes patrol the beach at Magaluf where protestors have been clashing with street prostitutes and their gang masters, who they says are driving holidaymakers away

The sex workers, pictured right, are brought over from impoverished cities in West Africa by gang masters often without the money to pay for their journey

The women, pictured, are then forced into prostitution and work to pay off their debt the traffickers, according to investigators

A British bar owner who asked not to be named said: 'The pickpockets and prostitutes are part of the same gang who hang around outside the bars in the early hours picking off stragglers'

Gangs of African prostitutes, as many as 50-strong, have been plaguing Magaluf for the last 15 years. Locals say some of the women have no intention of having sex with their victims as they lure them into secluded spots and rob them of their money

Another tactic is for the girls, pictured here being spoken to by police on Monday night, to group around drunken men and pickpocket them while they are distracted

Two African men were arrested last night after police spoke to groups of men and women lurking outside a Pizza Hut restaurant on the popular night spot at Avenida de Magaluf

'Last year there was a guy who threatened a bar worker with a knife and it was all caught on camera.

'The images were shown to the police along with a photograph of the knifeman but the officers said there was nothing they could do as he hadn't injured anyone. That is why we've taken things into our own hands.'

Gangs of African prostitutes, as many as 50-strong, have been plaguing Magaluf for the last 15 years.

They take advantage of the fact the sun-kissed resort in Mallorca is a magnet for young Britons who take advantage of the cheap alcohol and raucous nightlife.

Victims are reportedly lured into dimly areas away from the bars and restaurants and then ambushed by either men or groups of other women and robbed.

Another tactic is for the girls to group around drunken men and pickpocket them while they are distracted.

But locals have finally had enough and are fighting back as latest figures show there were 1.6million foreign visitors to the island in April this year, a drop of more than seven per cent compared to April 2017.

Recently a Facebook page was set up called 'Cleaning Up Magaluf' which has already attracted more than 2,600 members and posts regular updates on where the prostitutes gather.

Using the social networking site, organisers set up a public demonstration which saw about 100 of them confront about 20 African women who complained to police they were being harassed and intimidated. Five British ex-pats were later held on suspicion of hate crime.

The women have told authorities in Spain that they are trafficked by gangs out of poverty in Nigeria and Senegal to cities like Barcelona and Valencia.

From there, they are taken by people traffickers and gang masters to Mallorca to target tourists.

The women - often too poor to pay for their journey - are 'brainwashed with voodoo rituals' and face threats from organised mafia gangs, according to investigators.

This morning, just before 2am another demonstration erupted as a group of around 35 taxi drivers, bar workers and shop staff confronted 10 Nigerian women, who they accused of being muggers.

Guardia Civil held extendable batons and warned the crowd to move back.

Just before 2am today another demonstration erupted as a group of around 35 taxi drivers, bar workers and shop staff confronted 10 Nigerian women, who they accused of being muggers

One Nigerian girl, aged in her mid twenties, refused to say where she was from - but told MailOnline: 'We are not here to cause problems, we don't want to fight with locals'

The women, who pulled hoods over their heads and turned away from cameras, had been lurking outside a Pizza Hut restaurant on Avenida de Magaluf.

The police later arrested two African men although they would not reveal on what charges.

Watching the drama unfold, a Nigerian toilet attendant at a nearby bar said the women come from Benin City in Nigeria's Edo State.

'They are brought here and warned to target tourists. They are not actually prostitutes though but thieves, muggers,' he said.

'You could offer these girls any job and they wouldn't take it. They are told what to do and they do it.

John Carr, living in Mallorca for ten years, complained: 'The girls are not prostitutes. They are muggers, plain and simple.'

'The gangs warn them that they will harm their families if they don't do what they say.'

One Nigerian girl, aged in her mid twenties, refused to say where she was from - but told MailOnline: 'We are not here to cause problems, we don't want to fight with locals.'

Standing on the other side of the street an older woman shouted to a man holding a mobile phone: 'Why don't you take some pictures of my backside?'

Ten minutes later a woman with a head band and large afro hair was stopped and searched by police after being accused of stealing from a tourist.

Alexander Khviadkhevya, from Belarus, told the officers that the girl had taken €60 from his wallet.

He later said: 'I was walking with my friend and these girls surrounded us and offered us oral sex.

'I turned them down but this girl then put her hand into my pocket and took my wallet. I managed to get the wallet back but the money was gone.'

One of those involved in the protest this morning was 32-year-old events manager John Carr, from Glasgow, who has been living in Mallorca for ten years.

He said: 'The girls are not prostitutes, they are muggers, plain and simple. They target mainly young guys, late teens or early twenties, and those who have had too much to drink.

'Sometimes they do offer sexual services but it's nothing more than a distraction so an accomplice can sneak up and try and pickpocket them.

'We know they carry pepper spray and anecdotally we've heard of victims being stabbed.

In the CCTV taken at 6.30am on the Magaluf strip, one of the tourists tries to stop his food from being taken, but in doing so the thief grabs him and steals something from his pocket

In footage given to MailOnline by locals angry that West African crime gangs are taking over their streets, the Brit tourists have no idea they have been robbed by the male pickpockets

Police in Magaluf are struggling to contain locals clashing with the gangs of women they say are giving the resort a bad reputation because they are mugging and robbing holidaymakers

'They used to operate in and around an old shopping precinct where most of the businesses are either shut down permanently or are closed in the evening.

'There is a covered walkway they take their victims to which is quiet and secluded or there is a car park at the back.

'But this has been happening regularly, almost nightly every summer for the last 15-years and been allowed to go on.

John added: 'It's important to point out, though, that this is nothing to do with race.

'We've all got the same colour blood. It doesn't matter where you're from, it matters what you do. 'And these people have been preying on the vulnerable for too long.'

The local council, Ajuntament de Calvia, were unavailable for comment.