A Daily Mail undercover investigation has found that bars and restaurants across Gran Canaria are using hidden charges, unclear menus and dubious taxes to overcharge British tourists. Reporters posing as holidaymakers were repeatedly given menus without prices, charged for tap water, and billed for an unnecessary seven per cent "tax" that should already be included in advertised prices, mirroring similar practices previously exposed by the paper in Greek tourist hotspots such as Corfu, Santorini and Rhodes.

The island, which has a population of around 875,000 but welcomes up to four million visitors a year, saw reporters charged €2.50 for tap water at one restaurant and stung by a scribbled-over menu price rise from €7.95 to €10.95 for a chicken, chips and salad dish at another. Extra costs began at the airport, where taxis (Uber and Bolt are banned) charged €25 for a ten-minute journey including a €3.50 surcharge, while a steakhouse called El Molino added a separate seven per cent IGIC tax of €2.47 to the bill. Other examples included an underwhelming ham baguette, iced coffee and smoothie costing €24.40 at a cafe with a 1.4-star TripAdvisor rating, where past customers reported being charged as much as €9 for a coffee.