An increasing number of British immigrants to Spain are leaving the country as the pound continues to be weak against the euro.

More people are said to be quitting places like Benidorm, Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca than the number of migrants who are arriving.

In Benidorm there were around 5,000 Brits just over 10 years ago compared to 2,825 last year.

The Costa del Sol is losing its shine as the price of Brexit hits British immigrants (Picture: Getty)

During the same time-span the number of British immigrants dropped from 19,803 to 14,981 as the Costa del Sol loses its shine, according to the Mirror.


This supports figures published earlier this year in Spanish newspaper El Pais which said there had been a drop of 157,107 Brits in the country from 397,892 to 240,785.

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The fall of 40 per cent compares to an average of 15 per cent of other EU countries.



There have been changes in regulations in Spain that have been held partly to blame, but the main factor is said to be the weak pound.

Michelle Ball, who owns a shop in Alicante, said: ‘Many are returning because life has become incredibly expensive.

‘My mother has lost €160 a month in her pension since the Brexit referendum because of the devaluation of the pound. Now her pension is €690.

The pound plummeted after the Brexit vote (Picture: Xe.com)

There was a boost to confidence yesterday after France signalled it wanted to work closely with the UK (Picture: XE.com)

‘And since the Spanish government made changes a few years back she also has to pay a portion for her medicines. It’s not a lot but it doesn’t help either.’

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has said he is ‘confident that a deal is within our sights’ while appearing before peers to discuss progress of the Government’s negotiations to leave the EU.

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The pound has been week since the referendum result was announced. However, it was buoyed yesterday when France signalled it is ready to cut a close post-Brexit EU deal with the UK.

French president Emmanuel Macron aims to use an EU summit next month in Salzburg, Austria, to push for a new ‘alliance’ between the bloc and Britain, The Times stated.

A new Continental structure would see ‘concentric circles’ with the EU and Euro at its core and the UK in a second ring, according to the newspaper.

The claims emerged after the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier struck an optimistic tone, stating: ‘We are prepared to offer Britain a partnership such as there never has been with any other third country.’

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