The government study, published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, said that the overwhelming majority of victims are teenage girls from Pakistan or Bangladesh.

The victims are often coerced into getting married to preserve "family honour" rather than allow them to mingle freely with boys of other cultures or religions and form relationships, it is claimed. The forced marriages are also undertaken to help others move to Britain, it said.

Chris Bryant, a minister in the department, said the government was determined to do everything to put a stop to such practices and "protect the vulnerable".

"As a Government we are determined to do everything we can to put a stop to it and to protect the vulnerable. There is no culture in which this is acceptable in a modern world," Bryant was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.

According to the study, some of the young brides are pushed into marriages abroad after being taken on a supposed holiday then having their passports and travel documents confiscated, while others are drugged or subjected to violence or threats if they protest, the British daily reported.

Many forced marriages remain hidden because those involved are taken out of school, fear reporting relatives to the authorities or cannot obtain help overseas, it said.

Though as many as 8,000 cases of forced marriage were reported in England last year, some community groups in the UK deny that the problem exists or claim that opposition to forced marriage is a form of racism, the new study said.

The report calculates that, in 2008, between 5,275 and 7,750 cases were reported to the authorities in England.

The special unit of the British Foreign Office dealt with 420 cases last year almost triple the 152 in 2005 and has now issued guidance to health workers and teachers on how to spot potential victims.