5,700 Britons arrested overseas

Some 5,700 Britons were arrested overseas last year, although the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said this was 10% fewer than 2009/10

Drug arrests also fell by almost 20%, according to its new British Behaviour Abroad report.

The highest number of arrests were in Spain and the United States. However, proportionally, tourists are most likely to be arrested in Thailand, according to the report.

Drug arrests continue to be a significant problem for some countries, it said, particularly parts of South America and the Caribbean where a high proportion of total arrests were drug related.

The FCO has launched a new ad campaign uring Britons to steer clear of drugs overseas.

The British Behaviour Abroad report also shows that the number of Brits hospitalised abroad increased to 3,752 cases, despite fewer people from the UK travelling abroad last year.

Cases of rape in Greece have almost halved since 2009/10, down from 27 to 15, though the number of sexual assaults rose 'significantly', according to the FCO.. Proportionally the highest number of sexual assaults occurred in Egypt, followed by Turkey.

The report showed that the Philippines was the country where Britons were most likely to need assistance of the FCO, followed by Thailand then Pakistan.

By Linsey McNeill