horribly

Brit couple in Tenerife try to climb plastic elephant but it goes horribly wrong

Laura and Ste Knowles, from St Helens in Merseyside, were left red-faced after a hilarious incident was caught on camera during their holiday in Tenerife, Spain

A couple were left in stitches after one of them was caught on camera face-planting onto the pavement while attempting to ride a plastic elephant at a Spanish holiday resort.

Most people will have recollections of doing something daft and amusing after having had a tipple too many. For one pair, from St Helens in Merseyside, this recently occurred during their getaway in Tenerife in Spain, which resulted in them face-planting on the street. Laura and Ste Knowles had indulged in “a few champagne cocktails” before the comical accident, which was recorded and subsequently posted on social media. After finding the bright yellow elephant outside a shop, 42-year-old Laura challenged her partner Ste, 44, to clamber on top for an amusing snap.

If you’ve previously visited Tenerife, you might recognise the yellow elephant, as it’s the renowned logo of the Fund Grube department store chain, which sells an extensive range of cosmetics, perfumes, and jewellery at prices frequently lower than in other European nations, and can be discovered in numerous locations throughout Tenerife.

However, the pair’s boozy dare rapidly transformed into a catastrophe as Ste lost his footing and tumbled forwards, causing both him and the elephant to crash to the pavement.

The tumble left the furious shop owner absolutely livid, as Laura remembered: “She chased us up the street a bit.”

The duo, from St Helens, Merseyside, had been wandering along the Veronicas strip in Playa de las Américas, Tenerife, Spain, when they encountered the plastic creature. Laura went onto reveal it was her idea for Ste to climb onto the elephant.

“We’d had a few champagne cocktails and I stupidly suggested to Ste to climb on the elephant for a photo,” Laura explained. “I thought it was like the Superlambanana sculpture in Liverpool.

“But it wasn’t held down and it was as light as a feather. So he fell and hit the deck, taking it with him,” Laura added. “The shop owner was livid.”

She continued to say: “It had a few bumps on it so obviously it had happened before, but she chased us up the street a bit.”

The pair’s clip became an internet sensation on TikTok, amassing more than 370,000 views and hundreds of responses from entertained followers.

“It didn’t gone so well,” one viewer commented, while another jokingly penned: “Us Brits just love to say sorry! Now was he saying sorry to the elephant for knocking it over?”

“Darling hold my hand… Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday,” another person quipped.

Nevertheless, not everyone was amused, as some grumbled it was ‘typical’ holidaymaker behaviour that residents usually detest, which has recently sparked demonstrations across numerous popular holiday spots in Europe, including Tenerife.

“Quality tourism,” one person moaned, while someone else added: “Tourist Go Home.”

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‘I stayed up until 2am to see iconic attraction but it was still horribly busy’

Polya Palazova, 21, went to the Italian capital to see the new Pope and take in the sights – but she was left stunned by how busy it was compared to her last trip in 2018

Polya
Polya Palazova was not impressed with the crowds in Rome

A woman visited Rome and went to desperate measures to escape the throngs of tourists, but still found the city to be “too crowded” and “horrible”.

Polya Palazova, 21, travelled to the Italian capital in early June to see the new Pope and explore the sights. Having been once before in 2018, Polya never doubted whether she’d manage to see all the landmarks – but this time she was shocked by how packed the Eternal City was.

The University of Vienna media and communications student spent four days in the city and branded it as “far too hectic”. Polya and her mates managed to visit many of the headline tourist hotspots including Piazza Navona, the Colosseum, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain.

However, she said it was “too packed” to even attempt visiting the Vatican – meaning she couldn’t tick that off her bucket list. Yet even the places she did manage to see were rammed with people – and there were still hordes when she visited Trevi Fountain at 2am.

READ MORE: Brits ‘scared away’ from Majorca as holiday hotspot left ‘completely dead’

A view of the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy on May 10, 2025. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Trevi Fountain has a reputation for getting really busy(Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Polya said: “I’m from the crowded city of Burgas, Bulgaria – which is right near the busy Sunny Beach resort. So I’m OK with crowds – but Rome was too much. We had a really good plan and managed to see most of the sights but the Vatican was too hard.

“There were so many people and it was more than 35 degrees, we couldn’t do it. It was just too busy. I wanted to see the new Pope but I couldn’t. It was so hot, and there were so many people that you couldn’t enjoy it.”

Polya revealed she had watched TikTok videos suggesting people visit Trevi Fountain at night for a more peaceful experience and better photos in the darkness. She stayed awake until 2am to make the trip, but discovered it remained heaving with tourists.

She explained: “Because of the TikToks, it wasn’t really quiet. But it was still good to go at night. We went to bed at 3am but we didn’t mind.”

Whilst she relished the getaway, she believes destinations like Italy and Spain have become particularly “trendy” to visit this year. Several pals from her Austrian hometown are also making similar journeys over the coming months.

Polya remarked: “I went in 2018 and it was for sure more busy now.”

The fact Trevi remains busy and, according to some people, overcrowded, may be of some concern to the authorities in Rome.

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Last year, the fountain was closed for a three-month restoration, during which time the masterpiece of 18th-century Italian architect Nicola Salvi was spruced up. When it reopened at the end of 2024, a new queueing system was introduced in an attempt to control the large crowds that built up around it.

At its peak last summer, 12,000 tourists would visit it each day. When the new system was introduced, Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri said imposing the limit will “allow everyone to better enjoy the fountain, without crowds or confusion”. Gualtieri also said city authorities were considering charging a modest entry price to finance the fountain’s upkeep, although that is yet to be introduced.

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