According to news reports in Chamonix, the hiker was taking a track near the Bionnassay glacier.

His identity has not yet been revealed.

An Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who died in France."

The French mountain police have been approached for comment.

Mont Blanc is western Europe's highest mountain at 15,771ft, attracting thousands of tourists every year.

But the mountain's popularity poses a growing security and environmental challenge, local officials have warned.

In April six people died after an avalanche on the Armancette glacier, southwest of Mount Blanc.

The avalanche struck when the group of six were skiing off-piste near the village and ski resort of Les Contamines-Montjoie.

And in January a 45-year-old British woman died after getting caught in an avalanche on the Argentiere Glacier on Mont Blanc.