SUN-worshippers in Alcester and Studley who will be going on their annual holidays are being urged to wary of timeshare scams.

Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards is warning holidaymakers not to let their guard down.

County Councillor Andy Crump, portfolio holder for community safety said: “Trading Standards are concerned that holidaymakers are still being approached whilst abroad and enticed by offers of further holiday accommodation opportunities to encourage them to attend ‘presentations’ selling timeshare, holiday ownership or discount holiday clubs.”

"Trading Standards and Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) advise consumers to be wary about attending such presentations, where they may be subjected to pressure sales, which could lead to them parting with large sums of money.

"Consumers need to be aware that the cost of timeshare is not just a one-off payment, but there are additional monthly maintenance fees on top, and these may increase significantly over time.”

Although consumers are becoming more aware of timeshare scams, there is a growing area of concern over businesses offering assistance on how to get out of timeshare contracts.

Timeshare is far less popular than it used to be, and many people who bought timeshare in the 1980s now wish to exit their agreement, either because they are no longer in a position to travel abroad, can no longer afford the maintenance fees because of their advancing years, or because they do not want to burden their family with the potential problem of disposal in the future.

As a consequence, there is now very little demand by consumers to buy timeshare on the resale market, which is why such companies have sprung up to ‘assist’ consumers wishing to exit their agreements.

Anyone with concerns about timeshare or resale companies is advised to contact Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 05 06 or Action Fraud on 0300 123 2050.