British soldiers quizzed over resort bar brawl

Six British soldiers were being questioned by police today after reports of a brawl in a Lanzarote bar.

The servicemen were arrested following clashes in the resort on Saturday.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the six soldiers were due to appear in court in connection with the incident.

An MoD spokesman said: "We can confirm that six British soldiers have been arrested and are due to appear in court in Lanzarote.

"All those who are found to fall short of the Army's high standards or who are found to have committed an offence under the Armed Forces Act 2006 are dealt with administratively - up to and including discharge - or through the discipline process, as appropriate."

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm that British servicemen were arrested on Saturday following an incident in a bar in Lanzarote.

"Consular assistance is being provided."

Sources said the arrested servicemen were from the Welsh Guards and had been on a routine training exercise.

It is understood that five of the men were arrested yesterday, with the sixth being questioned today.

Two of the men appeared in court yesterday and three more were appearing today.

Reports said violence erupted following an argument over a bottle of wine, leaving a number of local people injured.