The number of squatter invasions reported to the police declined by 11pc nationally in the first eight months of the year, according to figures released by the Interior Ministry.

There were 10,345 cases of squatting reported to the police between January and August, down compared to the same period last year in most areas of interest to foreign buyers and owners.

The region with the most cases was, as usual, Catalonia, with 4,218 cases, just over 40pc of all cases in Spain. Catalonia was followed by Andalusia (1,607), the Valencian region (1,134) and Madrid (1,025).

The numbers declined the most compared to last year in the Valencian region (-21pc), Catalonia (-14pc), Andalusia (-6pc), and Madrid (-1pc). However, numbers rose in the Canaries, albeit from a low base of 319, to 382 (+20pc).

Due to the slow and costly legal process for getting squatters out through official channels a percentage of cases are never reported to the police, as owners turn to extra-judicial outfits to get squatters out, or simply pay them to leave.

A recent study of squatting in Spain by the Cerdà Institute estimated that 79,000 properties have been taken over by squatters, 10pc fewer than in 2016, so the problem, though large by the standards of other European countries, does appear to be diminishing.