Spain’s sun-soaked beaches, bars and boulevards are the destination of choice for millions of British travelers – but the government says more and more British citizens are spending time in Spanish jails and hospitals as well.

At least 17 million Britons leave behind the rain each year to vacation in Spain. According to a report released Wednesday by the Foreign Office, there has been a 33 per cent increase of British citizens arrested in Spain: 2,032 in all between April 2006 and March 2007.

The report blamed many of the arrests abroad on bad behavior caused by excessive drinking.