A British man accused of raping a fellow Briton on the Greek island of Rhodes could spend a minimum of three months in a local prison awaiting trial, according to the Foreign Office.

Thomas Rogers, 24, from Ayrshire, faces charges of raping a 23-year-old holiday representative in the east coast resort of Ixia.

The alleged incident is reported to have taken place in a hotel room on 12 July.

Rogers, who was on holiday at the time, was remanded in custody indefinitely by magistrates on the island on Monday.

He was transferred to the nearby island of Kos after his brief appearance in court.

'Standard practice'

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "He has been moved to Kos because there are no prison facilities on Rhodes.

"The Greek courts break for summer recess very soon and will not return until the end of September.

"His case will not be heard before then, it is too early to say when it will go before the courts. It could take some time.

"He will be held pending trail, that is standard practice."

She said she had no details from Monday's court case and could only confirm Rogers had been remanded in custody.

Police crackdown

His lawyer, Atis Demetriades, said the Briton did not deny being in the woman's hotel room and kissing her.

However, he said his client said it did not go any further.

Mr Demetriades said: "In order to substantiate rape according to the Greek law you have to have excessive violence, bodily or psychological that will prevent the victim from reacting."

He said Rogers approached police when they went around the hotels to find the alleged culprit and was arrested.

He said: "Thomas being naive, or too honest said 'I've been in the girl's hotel room, what happened'."

Travel advice

Last month Greek police raised their concerns about the behaviour of some British holidaymakers on the island of Rhodes.

In one week alone 11 Britons were arrested in a police crackdown on lewd behaviour in the resort of Faliraki.

The Foreign Office recently reviewed its travel advice to Greece, strongly advising women never to accept lifts from strangers or acquaintances.

And Thomson Holidays, the UK's biggest tour operator, has advised its holidaymakers not to walk home alone at night in unlit areas, not to go home with strangers, and to make sure someone knows their whereabouts.