The Greek authorities are taking steps to keep young UK holidaymakers in popular beach resorts safe. Following publication of Foreign and Commonwealth Office figures suggesting a sharp rise in violent crime on tourists, the number of tourist police at notoriously rowdy resorts such as Faliraki, Rhodes and Kavos, Corfu, will be doubled this summer.

A Greek National Tourist Office spokeswoman said: 'These police will make sure that young adults who have overindulged get safely home.

'Some will be in plain clothes, so that people don't feel offended when they try to help them.'

A spokeswoman for the Association of British Travel Agents welcomed the move but warned: 'What's really important is for holidaymakers, and women espe cially, to take their personal safety as seriously on holiday as they do at home and not to be over-relaxed.'

There were 34 reported rapes of British citizens in Greece last year, compared with 17 in 1998. Cases of violent crime increased from 23 in 1998 to 57 in 2002, including the murder of a British man in Corfu.

The Greek authorities point out that some of this crime was perpetrated by UK citizens and said that the figures should be set against the three million UK visitors who travelled to Greece last year without incident.