Selfies banned on French beach as social media is flooded with 'holiday spam'

France: Two sections of Garoupe beach in southern France will be designated 'No Braggies Zones.

Snapping photos of the sunset, cocktails and even your legs which strangely look like hot dogs is an essential part of many holiday-makers' trips abroad these days.

But one beach in southern France has banned visitors from taking and sharing 'holiday spam' images on their smartphones.

Beach authorities are imposing the ban on a section of the Garoupe beach following a significant rise in the number of British holiday-makers flooding social media with holiday photos.

Research has revealed that one in three Brits now puts bragging in their top five vacation activities – with the beach being the most common backdrop for their photos.

The two sections of the beach designated No Braggies Zones will remain so for two weeks during the peak August holiday rush.

It is intended to create a haven for those weary of seeing beach-goers spending the whole time on the sand taking shots of their own face, legs and sandy feet.

An example will be made of celebrities deemed to be the worst offenders when it comes to holiday spamming, with outright bans for any famous faces whose holiday bragging tendencies have been well documented in the past.

The beach authorities have worked with mobile network Three to impose the ban. The firm has apologised for the increase in holiday spam after it decided to scrap data roaming fees in 16 international destinations.

Tom Malleschitz, marketing director at Three, said: “The ban is an extreme measure, but one that we think is needed if we’re to motivate people to brag more responsibly abroad and share only the finest photos of their holidays on social media.”