The pair have reportedly been held after the youngest of the children, a six-month-old baby, tested positive for cocaine.
The arrests were made in Benalmadena, Spain(Image: Phil Harris)
A British couple have been arrested after allegedly leaving their three young children in a Costa del Sol hotel to go out partying.
The pair are said to have been held after the youngest of the children, a six-month-old baby, tested positive for cocaine, according to local media.
The children allegedly involved, aged four, two and six months, have now reportedly been taken into temporary social services care.
Sources close to the ongoing investigation have reportedly described the situation the youngsters were found in as “worrying,” saying the hotel room they were in was in a mess and the eldest child was looking after the others.
Although the regional Junta de Andalucia government has taken temporary charge of the children, they are understood to have been taken to Malaga’s Materno Infantil Hospital for a check-up.
The hotel they were staying at, which is in the popular resort of Benalmadena, has not been named.
A spokesman for Spain’s National Police said: “A British man aged 41 and a woman aged 28 have been held on suspicion of a crime of child abandonment.
“A specialist branch of the National Police called UFAM, a family and women assistance unit, is involved and the Junta de Andalucia’s social services’ unit has taken temporary charge of the children.”
Reports say the British pair were held in the early hours of Thursday morning. Police refused to comment on local reports that the baby tested positive for cocaine.
A well-placed source said the place the couple were staying at was a “very large hotel complex” on the Costa del Sol.
It is expected they will be held in police custody overnight before being taken to court tomorrow for a first hearing before a judge – but this has not yet been confirmed.
