By . Hugo Gye . PUBLISHED: . 02:12 EST, 28 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:12 EST, 28 August 2013 . British tourists risk falling foul of the law while on holiday if they are ignorant of local customs, the Foreign Office warned today. More than a quarter of UK citizens seeking consular assistance abroad are looking for help after they have been arrested. And the 'crimes' for which they have been detained are often as seemingly innocuous as wearing camouflaged clothing or eating near a church. Attraction: But visitors to Florence could be fined if they eat near churches or public buildings . The FCO has released a list of bizarre laws around the world in an effort to convince Britons to take greater care in observing local norms while travelling overseas. Some of the most popular European tourist destinations have unusual by-laws which could catch out tourists and land them with hefty fines. In Barcelona, it is illegal to go bare-chested or wear a bikini except at the city's beaches. Visitors to Venice are banned from feeding pigeons, while in Florence it is a crime punishable by a 'large fine' to eat food near a church or public building. Britons visiting the Netherlands are reminded that, despite the country's relatively lax drug laws, they could be arrested if they are found with narcotics outside a few specially designated areas. Popular: But visitors to Barcelona must not wander too far from the beach while topless or wearing bikinis . Another country where tourists must be careful about the substances they carry is Japan, where a number of common nasal sprays are banned because they contain the substance pseudoephedrine. In Nigeria, bizarrely, it is against the law to import mineral water, while those holidaying in Thailand cannot import more than 200 cigarettes. Singapore is famous for its draconian regulations, and the FCO has highlighted the law against chewing gum while travelling on the city's subway. But perhaps the strangest rule of all is found in Barbados, where it is illegal to wear camouflaged clothing - and even children can find themselves in trouble if they wear military-style attire. The FCO also flagged up the risk of causing offence in conservative countries by dressing immodestly or violating religious norms. Stylish: But camouflage-style clothing like this is strictly illegal in Barbados - even for children . Visitors to the Maldives are not allowed to observe any religion other than Islam in public, and tourists in Fiji must not sunbathe topless. In secretive Saudi Arabia, it is illegal to photograph military sites or government buildings, including palaces. 'Every year British nationals find themselves on the wrong side of the law unexpectedly, resulting in fines or in some cases arrests or even jail sentences,' said consular director Charles Hay. 'It is important to remember that laws and customs can vary greatly from country to country and what may be perfectly legal in the UK could be subject to a fine or even a jail sentence in another.' He went on: 'Consular staff often find that travellers are unaware that local laws apply to them and many British nationals think of their British passport as a "get out of jail free" card. 'While consular staff will always try to assist British nationals who find themselves in difficulty abroad, we can't interfere in another country's legal processes.'
Foreign Office releases list of unusual laws which trap British visitors .
In Barcelona it is illegal to wear a bikini while drugs are still banned in the Netherlands and feeding pigeons is a crime in Venice .
Tourists in Barbados can be fined for wearing camouflaged clothing .
By . Hugo Gye . PUBLISHED: . 02:12 EST, 28 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:12 EST, 28 August 2013 . British tourists risk falling foul of the law while on holiday if they are ignorant of local customs, the Foreign Office warned today. More than a quarter of UK citizens seeking consular assistance abroad are looking for help after they have been arrested. And the 'crimes' for which they have been detained are often as seemingly innocuous as wearing camouflaged clothing or eating near a church. Attraction: But visitors to Florence could be fined if they eat near churches or public buildings . The FCO has released a list of bizarre laws around the world in an effort to convince Britons to take greater care in observing local norms while travelling overseas. Some of the most popular European tourist destinations have unusual by-laws which could catch out tourists and land them with hefty fines. In Barcelona, it is illegal to go bare-chested or wear a bikini except at the city's beaches. Visitors to Venice are banned from feeding pigeons, while in Florence it is a crime punishable by a 'large fine' to eat food near a church or public building. Britons visiting the Netherlands are reminded that, despite the country's relatively lax drug laws, they could be arrested if they are found with narcotics outside a few specially designated areas. Popular: But visitors to Barcelona must not wander too far from the beach while topless or wearing bikinis . Another country where tourists must be careful about the substances they carry is Japan, where a number of common nasal sprays are banned because they contain the substance pseudoephedrine. In Nigeria, bizarrely, it is against the law to import mineral water, while those holidaying in Thailand cannot import more than 200 cigarettes. Singapore is famous for its draconian regulations, and the FCO has highlighted the law against chewing gum while travelling on the city's subway. But perhaps the strangest rule of all is found in Barbados, where it is illegal to wear camouflaged clothing - and even children can find themselves in trouble if they wear military-style attire. The FCO also flagged up the risk of causing offence in conservative countries by dressing immodestly or violating religious norms. Stylish: But camouflage-style clothing like this is strictly illegal in Barbados - even for children . Visitors to the Maldives are not allowed to observe any religion other than Islam in public, and tourists in Fiji must not sunbathe topless. In secretive Saudi Arabia, it is illegal to photograph military sites or government buildings, including palaces. 'Every year British nationals find themselves on the wrong side of the law unexpectedly, resulting in fines or in some cases arrests or even jail sentences,' said consular director Charles Hay. 'It is important to remember that laws and customs can vary greatly from country to country and what may be perfectly legal in the UK could be subject to a fine or even a jail sentence in another.' He went on: 'Consular staff often find that travellers are unaware that local laws apply to them and many British nationals think of their British passport as a "get out of jail free" card. 'While consular staff will always try to assist British nationals who find themselves in difficulty abroad, we can't interfere in another country's legal processes.'
innocuous as wearing camouflaged clothing or fines. In Barcelona, it is illegal to go bare-chested or wear a bikini except at the from feeding pigeons, while in Florence it is a visiting the Netherlands are reminded that, it is illegal to wear camouflaged clothing - and illegal in Barbados - even for children .