Highest number of Brits arrested abroad in Spain

More Britons have been arrested by foreign police in Spain than any other country over the last two-and-a-half years, according to official figures.

The resort of Alicante, on the south-eastern coastline popular with expats and those on bargain breaks, saw the most Britons arrested of any destination between 2015 and summer 2017.

According to data released by the Foreign Office under freedom of information laws, 655 Brits were arrested or detained in Alicante alone during this period.

Some 2,590 people from Britain were held in Spain over the last two-and-a-half years – more than in any other country, according to the Foreign Office data.

The US was the second most prolific, with 2,045 arrests, ahead of the United Arab Emirates (809), France (489) and Thailand (462).

Afteralicante,dubaiwasthe destination with the greatest number of Britons detained – 524 – ahead of Bangkok (454), Miami (445) and Malaga (441).

The data showed a rise in Britons arrested abroad between 2015 and 2016, in the five countries with the highest numbers of detentions.

The rise from 2,541 to 3,095 represents an increase of 21.8 per cent.