| Drunken Brits face holiday crackdown |
Published By: Samantha Newman
On Thursday 7 August 2008 |
Drunken British holidaymakers are facing a crackdown from Greek authorities as they fight to tackle a rise in trouble at a number of resorts.
Holiday spots on Crete and Zakynthos have recently been blighted by drunkenness, violence and sexual assaults as thousands of young Britons descend on the islands, attracted by cheap drinks and a raucous nightlife.
Greek authorities have decided to take a hard line on the revellers in a bid to boost the faltering reputations of some of the holiday resorts.
Officers in Malia on Crete are believed to be arresting tourists they suspect of being very drunk as a pre-emptive strike to stop trouble before it starts.
And officials on Zakynthos are calling for an end to the drunken antics that have tarnished the reputation of some of its resorts.
Last month, Matthew Cryer, 17, from Killamarsh, Sheffield, collapsed outside a nightclub in Laganas, Zakynthos, and later died, following a night out with friends.
Abta spokesman Sean Tipton said: "There are no reports of people being arrested without good reason.
"People are not being arrested because they look British."
He said British travel companies had a "good relationship" with the Greek authorities, adding: "They don't pick on British tourists at all.
"We would encourage people to respect the laws of the country they are staying in."
The mayor of Laganas Dionysios Komodios said: "We don't want the young people to walk out naked, to cause problems and damage.
"We don't want them to annoy the rest of the guests, we want the young people to enjoy themselves and go back home healthy and happy."
But the UK's ambassador to Greece Simon Gass said the availability of cheap alcohol at some resorts was fuelling the problems.
"If you have a resort in which there are very large numbers of bars selling very, very cheap and often low quality alcohol, in often very large quantities, you can't be that surprised when you get an awful lot of people who end up drunk."
