Boozy Brits in Benidorm coronavirus lockdown taunt cops chanting ‘we’ve all got the virus!’ as they defy quarantine

BRITISH tourists have been filmed chanting "we've all got the virus" and taunting police in Spain as they defy the country's lockdown during the coronavirus outbreak.

A video which appeared on social media this weekend shows a group of around 50 people — some topless, others holding cans of beer —  boisterously chanting outside a block of flats as officers attempt to get them to go inside.

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Sirens can be heard in the background of the video as members of the group stand outside the flats start to sing when police arrive.

Officers, eventually, managed to herd the rowdy group indoors.

The clip was posted to Twitter with the caption: "The police clearing away English tourists, already cooked the terraces of Benidorm."

It is believed to have been filmed at the Trebol Apartments in Benidorm’s Levante Beach area at around 3pm on Saturday.

Comments underneath the video state "get them back to the UK" and "what unconsciousness, irresponsibility and stupidity".

Spain — which has the highest number of cases in Europe behind Italy — has declared a 15-day state of emergency, with some 47 million Spanish residents banned from leaving their homes except to buy food, go to hospital, work or help an elderly person or relative.

Cases of the virus soared by 1,500 in just 24 hours on Saturday and so far almost 300 people have died.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared the state of emergency which involved a mandatory lockdown of regions across the country.

The first of three stages of emergency – a "state of alert" – mobilises the military and gives the government wide-ranging powers, including the ability to confine people and order evacuations.

All cafes, shops, restaurants and bars in the country have been shut and all large public gatherings have been cancelled.

Mr Sanchez, whose wife has been diagnosed with the virus, has warned Britons not to behave as though they are on holiday if they are in the country and the UK’s foreign office has advised against "all but essential" travel to Spain during the outbreak.

Airlines have promised to send aircraft to take Britons stranded in the country back to the UK.

This weekend, Jet2 flights from the UK to Spain were cancelled, with some planes forced to turn back in mid-air.