The beautiful city of Prague has become the latest victim of loutish tourists who flock to the Czech Republic capital to indulge in heavy drinking and raucous stag parties.

The national tourist board has been forced to come up with ways to tackle the problems caused by young Brits, who have flooded to the country in their hundreds of thousands to take advantage of cheap alcohol - a pint of beer costs 40p - and flights from £40 return. They want to try and control the problem before it gets to the level seen in Faliraki or Ibiza.

Some hotels have stopped letting groups stay after having their rooms ruined; in some cases tourists had destroyed furniture or thrown it out of the window. The root of the problem was sown three years ago when low-cost airlines including EasyJet, BmiBaby, Flybe, Jet2 and Czech Airlines made the country more accessible. And it has been compounded by tour operators focusing on cheap drinks and partying.

'We don't have a problem with them getting drunk and enjoying themselves, but they have to take other tourists and local people into consideration,' said Iveta Schoppova, director of the Czech Tourist Authority.

'Young people should know they can be penalised if they cross the line. If they cause violence or damage, they will receive police fines.'

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office website warns: 'Some bars and restaurants in the city centre do not allow access to stag groups. Drunken or offensive behaviour is dealt with according to Czech law and may result in detention and or fines.'

Britain provides the greatest number of tourists to Prague after Germany, with 278,000 UK visitors in 2002, but the CTA points out that other nationalities are also causing trouble.

The local authorities are discussing how to deal with the problem and six months ago made noises about introducing tourist police.

'It's a good thing they're talking about it, but these projects take time and nothing is definite,' said Schoppova.

This year the CTA will launch a campaign to change the face of Prague and the Czech Republic, to highlight other regions and draw attention away from the drinking culture to alternative activities on offer in Prague. It will first focus on educating tour operators and travel agents to make them aware of the other attractions that may tempt tourists out of the pubs, such as the stunning western and southern Bohemian areas.

Schoppova said: 'Our aim is to do more education, to show tour operators that there's more than one aspect to Prague and the Czech Republic.

'We want to highlight a positive image and the diversity of activities for the younger generation, Prague is a dynamic city, pulsating with life with great music and jazz bars.'

For more information on the Czech Republic, call 09063 640641 or see www.czechtourism.com.