Welsh holidaymakers could benefit from new European rules to tackle timeshare cheats according to Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans.

Ms Evans has been calling for stricter regulation and has been contacted by constituents who've been targeted by unscrupulous timeshare salespeople. The European Parliament's Consumer Affairs Committee has recently agreed a package of measures to help holidaymakers and target the cheats.

Plaid MEP Jill Evans, who represents the whole of Wales in the European Parliament, said:

"I've been contacted by constituents who've had bad experiences with unscrupulous timeshare touts when they've been on holiday. These people target holidaymakers and use a range of con tricks to try and get them to sign up to something they don't really want.

"This is a Europe wide problem and action at EU level is the right way forward. We are supporting a package of measures that includes a 'cooling off period' to give people a chance to change their minds, even after they've signed up. Another measure would require timeshare salespeople to provide full written details of who they are and what they're selling.

"Many people will have had good experience with timeshare, but unfortunately the crooks and cheats have been blighting this industry for too long. Reputable and honest timeshare firms have nothing to fear from these new rules, but it's time to take firm, EU wide action to stop the timeshare cheats."

Notes for editors

* European law currently applies to fixed-property timeshares. However, over the years fraudulent salespeople have started selling other things such as "holiday clubs" and timeshares on boats, caravans etc. These schemes are designed to fall beyond the scope of timeshare regulation.

* The package agreed by MEPs has now been approved by the Consumer Affairs Committee of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

* It will come before the full parliament for approval later this year.

The package will:

* require timeshare and holiday salesmen to provide full written details of who they are and what they're selling;

* give consumers a period with the right to withdraw from anything they have signed;

* ban advance payments;

* regulate the timeshare "exchange" industry;

* extend the law to cover "long term holiday products". These are often schemes similar to timeshares - but fall outside existing laws and so are open to abuse and scams.

Diwedd/End.