Holidaymaker Tom Caunce, a 31-year-old from Southport, Merseyside, decided to take matters into his own hands during a family holiday in Mallorca by sprinkling itching powder onto the towels of fellow tourists who reserved sunbeds. Frustrated by the common practice of guests waking early to claim prime poolside loungers before disappearing, Caunce filmed the sabotage and shared the footage online, where it garnered a combined 864,000 views and over 13,000 likes.
Targeting Repeat Offenders
Caunce said he specifically targeted what he described as “repeat offenders” who reserved the best sunbeds each morning and then left. He spent the first few days observing guests who repeatedly claimed the same loungers before heading back to their rooms. “I think we’ve all experienced the frustration of trying to get a sunbed on holiday,” Caunce said. “Many of us have accepted the 6am wake-up call just to have a chance of getting a decent spot. On my last holiday, I decided enough was enough and that it was time for a bit of playful payback.”
The First Attempt Backfires
Caunce’s first target was a woman he estimated to be in her late 40s, who along with her husband reserved the same beds every day despite spending little time around the pool. He attempted a quick “walk-by sprinkle” of itching powder onto one of their towels. However, the plan appeared to backfire almost immediately. “As soon as she arrived at the pool she seemed annoyed. She immediately grabbed the towel from the sunbed and stormed back to her room to change it, while her husband stayed behind to reserve the spot,” Caunce said.
A New Plan for the Next Morning
Undeterred, Caunce returned the next morning with a revised strategy. After setting his alarm for 6am on 7 June, he watched from his balcony as holidaymakers headed towards the pool. Within minutes, he spotted another couple making a beeline for the same loungers they had used the previous day. Caunce sneaked downstairs and rubbed itching powder into one of the white hotel towels before waiting for the pair to return.
Hours later, at around 1:30pm, the man finally appeared. Caunce initially feared the prank had failed after noticing the holidaymaker had brought another towel with him. But moments later, the scratching began. “After about a minute, I noticed him starting to scratch his legs. After around 10 minutes, he got up and jumped into the pool,” Caunce said. The situation escalated when the man later used the towel to dry himself. “He picked up the white towel and used it to dry himself, and the small irritation seemed to turn into a full-body scratch,” Caunce added. The holidaymaker eventually gave up sunbathing and spent the rest of the afternoon sheltering under an umbrella.
Viral Reaction and Mixed Opinions
Caunce filmed the prank and shared the videos online, where they were viewed a combined 864,000 times and attracted more than 13,000 likes. Social media users were split over the stunt. One person commented: “This is incredibly strange.” Another user added: “It’s not ok to do this. Remove towels, yes, but this no.” A different user said: “Oh, I love this! Just make sure you don’t do it to people who are just swimming and not reserving.” One person praised: “Absolute genius, thank you for your service,” while another called him: “What a b*llend.”
The prank took place in Mallorca on 6 and 7 June. Itching powder traditionally contains microscopic hairs from rosehip seed pods, but some novelty powders use ground-up fiberglass, which can be hazardous.
