Drunken tourists and expanding expatriate communities are fuelling a large rise in the number of Britons arrested in popular holiday destinations such as Spain, France and Cyprus

An increasing number of Britons are also falling foul of local laws and strict policing in more distant countries such as Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates, new figures show.

Thailand remained the deadliest destination for British nationals, with proportionately more deaths there than anywhere else in the world.

Figures being released by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office today list the countries where Britons are most likely to seek embassies' help.They show that 2,032 British nationals were arrested in Spain in the year ending March 2007, a 33 per cent increase on the previous 12 months and more than in any other foreign country. The rise is partly attributable to the increase in British visitors to the country. Embassy officials in Madrid also cited the rising number of football matches involving British teams, a growing British resident population and a police crackdown on drivers who do not carry their licenses - now a detainable offence - as other reasons for the increase. The number of arrests in France, where there has been recent police action on drink-driving, rose 42 per cent to 153.

Other traditional package holiday destinations are seeing high numbers of Britons getting into trouble, and the Foreign Office said that many arrests are “due to behaviour caused by excessive drinking”. Cyprus was the country where British nationals were most likely to be arrested as a percentage of visits made, while in Greece there were 230 arrests, 602 people taken to hospital, 131 deaths and 28 reported rapes.

David Else, author of several Lonely Planet travel guides, said that young British tourists were exporting their binge-drinking habits. He said: “My experience of being in some of the Mediterranean counties, and the reports we get from hoteliers and tour operators, is that unfortunately it is the British [causing problems fuelled by alcohol].”Greek authorities are taking tough action on loutish behaviour. Officers in Malia, Crete, were reported to be arresting tourists they suspected of being very drunk before they could cause trouble. Frances Tuke, of the Association of British Travel Agents, said that people were carrying out less research before they went away. “We live in a global village but there are different local customs and laws that you have to adhere to,” he said. The Foreign Office is running a rape awareness campaign throughout the Greek islands, including the distribution of postcards urging tourists to “Know Your Limits” and more than 20,000 plastic covers for drinks to prevent them being spiked.

Meg Munn, the Foreign Office Minister, said: “Helping British nationals in distress overseas is one of our most important tasks, but many of the problems are preventable. By carrying out some simple research on the laws, customs and health requirements of a country in advance, many people could prevent their holidays being ruined.” She urged holidaymakers suffering the credit crunch not to cut back on travel insurance.

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