Paul Rocks on the Costa del Sol

The Haywards have lived in Spain 18 years

British people living in the south of Spain say they are "feeling the pinch" following the arrest of an Englishman for the murders of two Spanish teenagers.

Spanish police sources claim Tony King, originally from north London, has admitted killing 17-year-old Sonia Carabantes last month and 19-year-old Rocio Wanninkhof in 1999.

There were violent scenes as crowds gathered at the police station in Alhaurin el Grande after his arrest and again when he was moved from the town to a prison near Malaga.

He has been segregated from other inmates for his own safety.

Spanish media outlets have been reporting growing anger amongst the residents of the town where Mr King had been living.

We welcome these people to our country and they kill our children Alhaurin resident

When I visited Alhaurin on Tuesday, people from Britain were very reluctant to talk about it.

But an older Spanish man who approached me on the street had no difficulty expressing his opinion in one sentence.

He said: "We welcome these people to our country and they kill our children."

A lot of British people have bought in Alhaurin in recent years because the property prices inland are generally cheaper than other areas nearer the sea.

'Lack of trust'

Sue, who moved from Essex two years ago, said she feared the tensions would spill over to the local school.

"I kept my son at home on Friday to see how things went. I sent him back on Monday but he said there was an uncomfortable feeling. There is a lack of trust at the moment," she said.

Businessman John Teeling said: "We are all feeling the pinch with this.

It will make [locals] look twice at anyone now Tara Webster Marbella publican

"We apologise to our Spanish friends who tell us they do not label all Brits the same but it is the first thing you think about when you are a foreigner. I don't think all the locals feel that way though."

For those who have been living in the area a lot longer, there is a deep sense of shock and embarrassment over the whole affair.

Pauline Hayward, who lives in the inland village of Guaro, told her neighbours she was sorry the man arrested was English.

"I have been here for 18 years and I have never come across anything like this.

"When Sonia Carabantes was found dead we hoped it was not a foreigner who was responsible because there are people who are going to react to the fact that these foreigners are coming in and these things are going to start happening."

'Hooligan element'

Along the coastal resorts there has long been an element of anti-British sentiment, fuelled partly by badly behaved tourists.

Tara Webster, a publican in Marbella for the past 21 years, said the backlash from the "hooligan element" on holiday had already made life difficult for the expats.

She said: "These people are invading their countryside and some of them are really poorly behaved. The locals put up with them because they are earning money out of it.

"It is shocking that an unsuspecting looking man who is living in the middle of them in that town could be a murderer. It will make them look twice at anyone now."

The initial anger after the arrest has died down but this has been the big story in Spain and it is not about to go away.

The long-term fear is that the genuine welcome and trust that visitors encounter when they visit these quiet towns and villages may never be the same.