A EUROPEAN holiday hot spot has been devastated by horror flash floods – with authorities warning people to stay indoors.

Shocking images have shown dangerous waters washing away cars and covering streets with piles of dirt and mud.

Torrential rain battered Gran Canaria, Spain, causing flooding across the islands on Monday.

The popular holiday location has battled rising water levels that have dragged cars under bridges and across streets.

One terrifying video showed a vehicle being swept away into the sea at the Playa Salinetas Beach.

Flash flooding left a blanket of mud and dirt covering roads and pavements across Gran Canaria.

A terrifying video showed a woman being rescued from a car engulfed in floodwater.

Several cars were also dragged into the island’s Las Bachilleras ravine.

Officials issued a “pre-alert” warning across the Canary Islands on Saturday.

This came as heavy rainfall hit the archipelago throughout the weekend.

Spain’s national weather agency, Aemet, issued a red alert across Gran Canaria on Monday.

A higher alert level has also been issued for all of the Canary Islands, including Tenerife.

This potentially dangerous rainfall is also set to continue into the week.

The areas expected to be worst hit by these floods are La Palma, Tenerife, and Gran Canaria.

Some areas could also be hit with thunderstorms.

Officials have advised tourists and residents to avoid any unnecessary travel and to remain alert in flood-prone areas.

Despite this, locals and authorities attempted to start cleaning up battered streets with brushes and shovels.

This comes just months after the devastating floods that killed more than 200 people in southern Spain.

Areas around major cities like Valencia and Marbella were ravaged by horrifying flash floods in October.

Valencia, on the eastern coast, was one of the regions hit hardest in the floods with towns like Turis and Utiel recording up to 200m of rainfall.

Over 1,000 soldiers were deployed to the areas worst affected to help with rescue efforts.

At the time, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said: “Our thoughts go out to those whose homes and possessions have been devastated and whose lives have been covered in mud.

“We are united and we will rebuild your streets and your squares and bridges. Spain will be with you.”