British arrests soar 32% in Spain

The number of Britons arrested in Spain rose by almost a third last year, says an annual Foreign Office report.

There were 2,032 Britons detained from April 2006 to March 2007, up 32% on the 12 months before, figures showed.

Spain - the country most visited by Britons at about 17 million - also saw the highest number of lost passports (6,710) and hospital admissions (695).

The Foreign Office said many arrests abroad were due to "behaviour caused by excessive drinking".

Foreign Office Minister Meg Munn said: "The report highlights what can go wrong on holiday. It is a reminder to all that taking out comprehensive travel insurance is a crucial part of your holiday planning and not something that should be sacrificed to save a few pounds.

Click here to see where Britons needed help

"We are concerned that drink does play a part in a number of situations."

Thailand had the highest proportion of injuries and deaths among Britons, according to the British Behaviour Abroad report.

Cyprus had the highest proportion of arrests - 377 from over 1.5 million British visitors and residents - followed by the US with 1,415 arrests from more than seven million, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The 230 arrests in UAE from about 1.1 million Britons mainly related to the country's zero tolerance on drugs.

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There was a 42% increase in arrests in France, but this involved just 153 Britons. France was the second most popular destination with 15 million visitors and residents.

Spain and Greece had the most reported rape incidents (29 and 28 respectively) followed by Turkey (21).

Thailand was singled out as the country with proportionally the highest death rate and hospital cases among Britons.

The Foreign Office said the country had one of the world's highest road traffic accident rates and that most of the hospital admissions were the result of motorbike accidents, particularly in the southern islands.

Some Asian countries showed a very high rate of "serious assistance cases", including arrests, hospital admissions, deaths and reported rapes.

Indonesia topped the list with 10 in every 1,000 Britons needing consular assistance, with Pakistan second (1.95) followed by India (1.37) and Thailand (1.18).

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In a separate survey by the Foreign Office, two-thirds of almost 2,000 British holidaymakers admitted they would be spending less on holiday preparations this year because of the credit crunch.

The government has urged people not to cut corners on travel insurance.

And the Foreign Office advises Britons going abroad to check laws and local customs in areas they planned to visit before travelling in order to reduce the likelihood of experiencing problems.

More travel insurance policies were taken out in 2007 (20 million) than in 2006 (15 million), according to the Association of British Insurers.

The Foreign Office statistics relate to British visitors and also to British nationals living abroad for a year or longer.

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