Holiday island prostitution arrests

Updated 16.51 Mon Jul 14 2008

Keywords: sex, arrested, holiday, Greece

Nine foreign women have been charged with prostitution on the Greek holiday island of Zakynthos.

Earlier, police sources in Athens said the women involved were British and had been taking part in an sex competition which was caught on camera and was to be posted on the internet.

Greek police said the women, who were on holiday, had been paid to take part in the competition, which was video recorded and was to be posted on the web

However, a local police official on Zakynthos said the women were mostly from eastern Europe and were working in strip clubs at Laganas in the south of the Ionian island.

British Foreign Office officials also said they had investigated the incident and there were no British women involved.

Six foreign and six Greek men, including two bar owners, were also charged with encouraging obscene behaviour, according to a police statement.

In recent years, Laganas has established itself as one of Greece's most popular destinations for 20-something holidaymakers and is known for its wild party scene.

Around 15 million people - a fifth of them British - visit the eastern Mediterranean country each year.