There has been a sharp rise in the number of Britons applying for German nationality after last year’s Brexit vote.

According to an investigation by the Local, there has been a more than fivefold rise in applications made in major metropolitan areas.

With no deal in place guaranteeing the rights of Britons living in the EU after the UK leaves the European Union, the move reflects growing anxiety among the expat population.

It is estimated that 100,000 Britons live in Germany.

In Hamburg, for example, 280 applications were made last year - compared with 52 in 2015. More than 200 were submitted after the Brexit vote.

“Even though the reasons for naturalisation applications are not collected statistically, for us there is a clear connection” to the referendum to leave the EU, a Hamburg city spokesman said.

Irish passport credit: Niall Carson/PA

Darmstadt’s regional government, which has Frankfurt and Wiesbaden within its borders, received 521 applications in 2016 following the Brexit vote - five times more than the total for the previous year.

It was a similar story in the southwest state of Baden-Württemberg, with 386 applications last year and 68 in 2015.

Figures for the whole of Germany have still to be released.

Earlier this year the Irish Foreign ministry reported that there had been a 40 per cent rise in nationality applications from Britons following the Brexit vote.

Other EU countries also reported a sharp rise in applications and inquiries including Poland, where anybody with one Polish parent is entitled to apply for a passport.