The mother of beaten footballer Robbie Hughes is calling on a senior Government minister to tackle binge drinking and violence abroad.

Maggie Hughes, from Wallington, wants Foreign Office minister Chris Bryant to invite her to a meeting of tour operators to discuss the problem.

Mr Bryant has already launched a campaign urging holidaymakers to drink sensibly and keep away from trouble across the Mediterranean, in the hope of improving the image of Brits abroad.

But Mrs Hughes, whose son was savagely attacked in Malia, Crete, on June 17, and left fighting for his life, said the current campaign, which entreats tourists to “know their limits”, was ineffective.

She said: “Messages on beer mats and leaflets imploring people to be careful about drinking because it makes them vulnerable to crime are useless; youngsters will just chuck them away without reading them.

“Tour operators need to take more responsibility in not encouraging binge drinking and also helping their customers when they are in trouble.

“However, we also need to be tougher on the ones that cause this damage; why should these thugs be able to get away with it?

“Why can’t we name and shame them? Why can’t we punish them again when they return home, such as banning them from travel?”

Backing Mrs Hughes is MP for Carshalton and Wallington Tom Brake, who is also pushing for a conference among victims of crime abroad, to highlight concerns there is not help for British citizens caught in crisis in foreign countries.

He said: “Victims of crime and families of the victims of crime abroad have a lot to teach the Government.”