Brit tourists turn up at their luxury £3,400-a-week Spanish villa only to be told it had been 'rented to them illegally' with 60 more 'victims caught up in fraud'

British tourists who were renting a £3,200-a-week villa in Marbella have been told the property is being let illegally - and is booked up by eager holidaymakers until February next year.

The owner of the villa, who does not live at the property, said he had no idea his sprawling 1,500 square-metre plot was being let out until he came across an advert for it online. 

The maintenance man, to whom the owner had entrusted the property's safe keeping, had allegedly drawn up a lease contract and brought in a tenant to rack up profits in the vacated villa on the sly.

This new tenant is then said to have sub-letted the property to up to 60 people, taking bookings until February 2025 - a move his lawyer said he thought was legitimate based on the agreed upon contract with the maintenance man.

The complex case was revealed by Spain's Antena 3 outlet, which spoke to both the property's owner, Alberto, and the representative of its tenant, named Odon. 

Both parties claim they are the victim of fraud, with Odon arguing his client had signed paperwork and believed he was legally entitled to sublet the property. 

Meanwhile, dozens of customers who booked a stay at the lavish Andalucian villa were shocked to discover they had done so illegally - including the British tourists who were enjoying a getaway at the property when Spanish police arrived. 

A clip showed the moment two men in white t-shirts, believed to be the British holidaymakers, were informed by Alberto and police they had been swindled. 

Odon told Antena 3: 'My client saw the advertisement for the property for rent on the Idealista real estate portal, contacted an agency and they put him in touch with the man who we thought was the representative of this property.

'He provided keys to the house and documentation - we understood in good faith that (the tenant) was entitled to rent the property.'

Odon added that his client signed a lease contract and obtained permission from what he believed was the property manager - in reality the maintenance man - to sublet suites in the villa, enabling him to pay the rent and make a profit. 

But Alberto contends this rental contract was not legitimate and had not been drawn up with his permission. 

In the clip shared by Antena 3, Odon and Alberto can be seen speaking together. 

Ultimately, both parties claim to be victims of fraud, and have said they hope to come to an agreement before resorting to the courts. 

The suspected fraudster in question was not present in the interview, and his whereabouts are unknown.

In addition to the two men believed to be British holidaymakers, Antena 3 shared footage showing a group of people arrive outside the property carrying a golf bag and set of clubs.   

It remains to be seen what action Alberto and Odon will take against the maintenance man suspected of having committed fraud, or how the unknowing holidaymakers who booked a stay will be compensated.