MORE than a quarter of passengers arrested on suspicion of being drunk on a plane or at a British airport, in figures released yesterday, were apprehended at Gatwick.

At least 442 people were held between March 2014 and March 2016, police statistics show.

Cases include drunk passengers accused of causing havoc on a plane as being disorderly in the airport itself.

Gatwick saw 128 arrests over the two years, according to freedom of information requests.

Sussex Police is increasing patrols at Gatwick next month in a bid to tackle the problem.

The true numbers will almost certainly be higher as the Metropolitan Police - which oversees Heathrow - did not provide figures.

Last year, Andrew Tosh, 34, of Stirling Street, Dundee, was physically carried off a plane by police after sexually assaulting a female member of cabin crew.

Tosh caught his Turkey-bound flight in Glasgow on May 6, 2015, but he was arrested by Sussex Police after his behaviour caused the pilot to land at Gatwick.

He was so inebriated he didn't know which country he was in, asking officers "Is this Turkey?"

After appearing at Lewes Crown Court, he was sentenced to nine months in prison.

Passengers convicted of being drunk on an aircraft can face a fine or up to two years' imprisonment.

The Civil Aviation Authority said there is "no excuse for rude or aggressive conduct by passengers" and welcomed "criminal prosecutions where appropriate".

Aviation minister Robert Goodwill said: "Passengers who become disruptive on flights after drinking alcohol cause distress to other travellers, create knock-on delays to other flights, and in rare cases can even put flight safety at risk."