BRITISH plane-spotters arrested in Greece on suspicion of spying after they took photographs of military jets could be released within days, their defence lawyer said today.

Ajudge was today considering evidence to establish whether the 12 Britons - including former Worcester man Wayne Groves - and two Dutch nationals, arrested earlier this month in Kalamata in south-eastern Greece, will face espionage charges.

Lawyer Yannis Zacharias said he was hopeful the judge would either reduce the charges, in which case they could be released on bail, or drop them altogether, allowing them to go free almost immediately.

The judge was studying reports by Greek intelligence officers on photographs and notebooks belonging to the Britons, who will not be appearing in court today.

Mr Zacharias said the judge would not announce his decision until tomorrow but he hoped to be given an indication of the likely course of action later today.

"If the evidence is considered very weak, the judge may decide to drop the case. But according to previous conversations I've had, he's unlikely to take this course," Mr Zacharias said.

"Alternatively he could turn the charges into a misdemeanour, in which case he has the power to release these people on bail and set a date for their trial.

"This is the most likely to happen."