Police say the thieves are now working the beaches in gangs and buying their stolen items in the sand.
There are reports that bag snatchers and petty thieves are now working in teams on the beach in Alicante with police saying they are using the new technique of staying where they are on the beach having hid or passed what was taken, rather than running away.
Teams of three or four people are thought to have been working on the Postiguet beach, with the stolen items being firstly buried in the sand in a plastic bag.