Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes near the Costa del Sol, one of areas in southern Spain most loved by British tourists.

The evacuation was sparked amid new flooding fears after a weather alert for the area went from yellow to red and locals and holidaymakers were warned: “There is ‘extreme risk’.”

Spain’s Civil Protection Agency sent a mass alert to mobile phones in the Malaga province just after 10pm local time (9pm GMT) last night, warning in Spanish and English: “Red warning activated. Extreme risk of rainfall. Be very cautious, avoid travel.”

In a move estimated to have affected more than 300,000 pupils, it was announced all schools in the province would remain shut today. The city of Valencia and some of its suburb towns, still recovering from the horror floods late last month, also decided to suspend classes.

A “preventative” evacuation affecting around 3,000 people living in approximately 1,000 homes near the Guadalhorce River has been carried out. 

The area is one of the worst-affected by the torrential rainfall and storms that a fortnight ago were blamed for the death of a 71-year-old British expat.

The famous Costa del Sol including the tourist resorts of Marbella and Estepona is expected to take the brunt of the extreme weather phenomenon known as a DANA, a cold drop which was the cause of the catastrophic flash floods which killed more than 200 people in and around the east coast city of Valencia alone.

It was yet to start raining at first daylight on the famous stretch of coast this morning, but things are expected to change from around 10am local time (9am GMT), with the red weather warning due to remain in place until midnight.

Regional government representative Antonio Sanz admitted last night as he announced the residential evacuations and today’s school closures: “The situation for the province of Malaga is of extreme risk.

“The forecast was that we were going to be on yellow alert but weather agency Aemet has raised this to red.” 

Residents in specific areas near to the River Guadalhorce in inland towns like Alora, Cartama and Alhaurin de la Torre have been moved from their homes to temporary shelters including sports centres when unable to find alternative accommodation with friends or relatives.

The British OAP who died in hospital in Malaga a fortnight ago had been rescued hours earlier from his flooded home in one of the at-risk areas with hypothermia after suffering a heart attack.

Locals were pictured yesterday afternoon boarding up the doors to their homes or laying sandbags in front of them as they prepared for what was to come.

Residents in some coastal areas appeared to have prepared their cars for the worst, with many vehicles spotted with plastic sheeting wrapped tight around them. 

People also started stockpiling, with reports of supermarkets in parts of Malaga being emptied of products like mineral water and meat.

Castellon north of Valencia, another of the areas that was put on red alert, got an early taste of the latest extreme weather phenomenon to affect Spain.

Towns like Benicarlo, which hosts a famous annual music festival, and Vinaros were among the worst places hit.

Street rubbish containers ended up floating down flooded streets last night there as motorists struggled to avoid them.

A bone-dry summer in Spain has given way to an autumn of freak weather phenomenons.

Last Friday residents in Cadaques in the northern Spanish province of Girona woke up to a scene of destruction after 32 cars were washed away by flood water.

Many ended up piled on top of each other by a bridge in front of the town casino, with at least one of the smashed-up vehicles appearing to belong to foreign tourists because of the number plate that was clearly visible.

Miraculously there were no reports of any human casualties in the former fishing village near to the former home of famous artist Salvador Dali.

Cadaques is just over three hundred miles north of Valencia, where the vast majority of the 223 people who lost their lives in the flash floods late last month in Spain died.