Every so often a piece of research comes along which turns everything on its head.

It has become accepted wisdom that when it comes to social ills the best people to blame are the young.

Responsible for everything from wanton vandalism to a rise in violent crime, they have long been the rest of society's fall guy. Not any more.

According to the Foreign Office which is desperate to spruce up the sorry reputation of Brits abroad, while hen and stag parties regular wreak havoc, they are being joined by a whole new breed of troublemakers who are over 55 and over there.

Saga-louts, as they have been dubbed are fast following in the younger generation's footsteps by drinking too much and, if the FO is to be believed, many are also becoming abusive and displaying signs of worryingly reckless behaviour.

While at home they may exercise their minds with a good cryptic crossword before going to bed early with only a hot malt drink for company, give them a taste of foreign climes, and suddenly it's all about bungee jumping and parasailing.

According to the FO survey, 20 per cent of the over-55s try activities abroad that they would not contemplate at home, while nearly two in three totally throw caution to the wind, admitting they failed to take out travel insurance on their last trip overseas.

To add insult to injury, 10 per cent added they did not follow the same safety advice they would give to their children.

"Most problems that we see with the older generation of Brits arise from over-consumption of alcohol and food," said Rania Kossiori, British vice-Consul in Rhodes, Greece. "Drinking and staying too long in the sun can make you ill, and undertaking strenuous activity like going swimming or snorkelling after a large meal can put you in unnecessary danger. People have drowned this way.

"After one too many drinks, people can become abusive, for example shouting at resort staff. We've also had instances where a few too many drinks has led older guests to over-estimate their strength, for example going swimming in bad weather conditions, which has ended in tragedy."

The research comes as little surprise to psychiatrist Dr Peter Rice, who has written countless papers on the generation of baby boomers refusing to grow old gracefully. It was he who first coined the term Saga-lout and while he is not entirely convinced by the yob mentality of older holidaymakers, he insists it's not just when they escape British shores that problems arise.

"The typical Saga-lout is retired and developed a taste for drinking at home in the 1960s and 70s and now has enough spare income to splash out on their favourite tipple every night. They may not rampage through city centres on a Friday and Saturday night, but instead they drink quietly and steadily in their own home.

"People are actually increasing their drinking between the age of 60 and 65. It's a bottle of wine, or beer or spirits at home in the evening, but it all adds up to consumption above the recommended levels and the situation appears to be worsening.

"Older people's drinking has not had the same public awareness as young people's drinking. Although consumption falls with age, they are drinking more than previous generations. This is a silent phenomena, but because of the health implications it is also a serious one."

Campaigning group Alcohol Concern has previously estimated that more than one million over 65 year olds are drinking at unsafe levels – a 75 per cent rise in women and a 31 per cent rise in men since the early 1990s.

However, just when the rug seems to have been pulled under older people embracing the kind of hedonistic lifestyle which would have been unthinkable a few decades ago, there are some prepared to fight their corner.

"It's a misnomer that only the young can have new experiences on holiday or take part in exciting and often rigorous activities," says Steve Ashton, who, working for Saga Insurance, admittedly has a vested interest in encouraging people to hang up their pipe and slippers. "Just because you're over 50 does not mean you have to put your surfboard into storage or hang up your salopettes."