reality star, 25, was seen sipping on champagne cocktails as she enjoyed the pool party during her second day on holiday in Marbella.

Yesterday she indulged her wild side in an animal print bikini and today Maria Fowler showed her metal. 

The reality star, 25, was seen sipping on champagne cocktails as she enjoyed the pool party during her second day on holiday in Marbella. 

Maria, who is currently on a girls' holiday having left her boyfriend Craig at home, showed off her trim figure in a strapless black and gold bikini. 

Chain reaction: Maria Fowler donned a strapless black and gold print bikini with chain detail today as she spent the day at Sisu boutique hotel

 

And the Ann Summers two-piece not only boasted a link print but also had a chain attaching her bikini top to the bottoms for a bondage-inspired seductive look. 

Maria and her friends descended on the Sisu boutique hotel for a pool party organised by Unique Parties, Mark Wright's promotions company. 

Party girl: Maria made the most of her fab figure by donning a strapless bikini from Ann Summers with chain detailing for the pool party 

 

Relaxing with the girl: Maria was seen sunbathing on a large bed at the party, which was held by Unique Parties, Mark Wright's promotions company

And it seems that Maria was certainly in for a large day as she posed with a methuselah of Belvedere vodka for a snap to post to her Twitter account.

It's all white on the night for Katie Price and her boyfriend Leandro Penna as they indulge in Marbella's lavish nightlife

With a magazine of her own on the way, you'd think Katie Price might want to shun the world of clubs in order to check the last proofs and oversee the first issue's final stages.

But the one-time glamour model turned entrepreneur is currently holidaying in Puerto Banus, Marbella with her boyfriend Leandro Penna and her children, Harvey, Junior and Princess Tiaamii.

And last night she left the kids at their plush resort while she spent the evening with her new love taking in some of the delights that the Spanish town's nightlife has to offer. 

The whitest whites: Katie Price and Leandro Penna head out to the Tibu nightclub in Puerto Banus, Marbella

The couple had seemingly planned out their outfits together before heading out, synchronising their outfits to a tee - both wearing summery white.

 

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Katie, 33, wore a sheer flesh coloured vest through which her bra underneath was clearly visible.

She finished off the ensemble with a regulation pair of short shorts, in white - matching Leandro's 'Man from Del Monte' get up which consisted of a white shirt and linen trousers with a trendy pair of sandals. All that was missing was the trademark Panama hat.

Kiss my face: The model-turned-entrepreneur plants a smooch on her boyfriend's cheek during their night out

The pair headed to the town's Tibu nightclub which is billed as 'The club to be and be seen'. 

Open day and night, Tibu comprises an outside terrace where visitors can soak up the Mediterranean rays during the day and, of course, put on their gladrags to party at night. 

While the couple spend time with Price's family in Marbella, news of her new magazine was announced.

Ringing the changes: Miss Price had a gleaming ring on her engagement finger - however, she is often seen with rings on this finger

During her 10 years of fame, Katie Price has turned her hand to a variety of jobs, including modelling, acting, singing, designing, writing and launching a perfume range.

But now the mother-of-three is preparing to launch another venture - her own magazine.

Perhaps inspired by Oprah Winfrey's 'O' magazine, Price will save her exclusives for her 'Katie' magazine, which goes on sale next month.

One in four vehicle owners fail to meet their obligation with the ITV test centre; the figure shoots up to 70 per cent for mopeds

In 2010 a total of 476,294 vehicles registered in the province of Malaga were due to take their ITV test. However only 352,223 actually made it to a test centre: 74 per cent. The remaining 26 per cent makes Malaga the Andalusian province with the most cars on the roads that haven’t passed the motor vehicle test, according to statistics from the ITV organisation that forms part of the regional_Economy, Innovation and Science Department. The ITV test is obligatory, either annually or every two years, for vehicles over a certain age in order to ensure that the cars, lorries and motorcycles are roadworthy and therefore do not pose a risk to road safety.
As well as expressing their concern at this “worrying” figure, experts have attempted to find an explanation for the statistics. According to Mario Arnaldo of the association Automovilistas Europeos Asociados, the high proportion could be put down to the large volume of vehicles registered in the province. “However if we look at the figures, in Seville there were even more vehicles due to take the test (559,989) and there the level of compliance with the law was greater, 76 per cent, so the volume theory does not hold by itself”, he argues. While Malaga is only two per cent behind Seville the difference between this province and Cordoba or Jaén, for example is much greater, as there 82 per cent of vehicles take the test.
Crisis and tourism
Joaquín Zamora is the manager of Veiasa, the Junta de Andalucía’s firm that carries out the compulsory tests. He suggests other reasons: “It could be that the economic situation has influenced the figures. The fact that the crisis, and especially unemployment, has hit this province hard, even more so than other areas, could be a factor”, he maintains. “In 2009 the rate of compliance was 75 per cent which shows a slight downward trend which could be due to the crisis”, he continues. At the same time however he brings in another factor especially relevant to this province: tourism. “There are a lot of people who leave a vehicle here because they visit sporadically, but they do not live in Malaga, and do not take the vehicles in for their ITV”.
Arnaldo repeats his alarm at the effect the ITV figures could have on road safety. “The fact that one in four vehicles is not taken for testing is very negative”, he states, pointing out his agreement with Zamora’s impression that financial problems are taking their toll. On average the takings of car repair workshops have fallen by 15 per cent and less spending on car repairs implies that there are more vehicles on the road with mechanical problems. “This could lead to more owners dodging the ITV, fearing that their vehicle’s won’t pass and they will have to spend more”, he points out. Arnaldo also suggests that the new obligation of having to show proof of insurance when taking the test could also affect the figures. “Malaga is the sixth province in Spain with the most uninsured vehicles on the roads”, he reveals before demanding “greater controls” from the relevant authorities, “as this violation of the law increases danger on the roads”.
Moped problem
Looking at the figures for different types of vehicles, owners of two wheels are more likely to dodge their ITV than those with four. In the case of mopeds, only 32 per cent of owners take them for their ITV, that is, less than a third, despite the test being compulsory since 2007. Zamora points that the fact that scooters and mopeds have only been obliged to take the test for the last few years is most likely the explanation. “As it has only come in recently, the idea of taking a moped for a regular inspection has not yet become established”, he says. “What’s more as these vehicles are only used inside cities and towns less attention is paid to their condition, although we also have to bear in mind that the majority of owners are young people”, he adds, while stressing his concern at such a high rate of violation of a regulation. “We have made a huge effort to make life easier for owners, providing mobile testing units that go to different towns. But to our surprise when we have visited towns where 15 or 20 owners were due to being their mopeds for a test, only one has turned up. The Local Police, who are responsible for enforcing the regulation should step up their controls”, claims the manager of Veiasa.
In the case of motorcycles only 50 per cent of owners take the test, while the proportion for cars goes up to 78 per cent.
Joaquín Zamora explains that of those vehicles that are taken for their ITV, 25.4 per cent fail on their first visit. This failure rate goes down to 23.3 per cent for cars, while 46.25 per cent of heavy goods vehicles (over 3,500 kilos) were found to have some kind of defect. Similarly 37 per cent of buses and coaches failed their ITV in 2010.
The most common reasons for failing the test were problems with: headlights and indicators (12%); axles and suspension (10%); brakes (8.3%); or emissions (5.7%).
Marbella
The province’s seventh ITV test centre is due to open this summer in San Pedro Alcántara. Work started on the new centre in July last year, delayed significantly by the large number of bids received for the construction contract. The new centre is expected to test some 72,000 vehicles a year, relieving congestion at the existing centres around the province. At the moment there are two in the city of Malaga (El Palo and the Guadalhorce industrial estate), and one in Algarrobo, Antequera, Ronda and Estepona. The San Pedro centre is expected to create 21 jobs.

 

HOTELS in coastal areas in Spain were more expensive in August than July.

HOTELS in coastal areas in Spain were more expensive in August than July. The average price of hotel rooms in coastal destinations increased by 19 per cent, according to Trivago’s Hotel Price Index.

Marbella reached €200 room a night, up nine per cent, placing it as the municipality in Spain with the highest average hotel rate beating the usually expensive cities of Barcelona and Madrid whose room rates were €120 and €89 respectively. The biggest price rise was in Malaga by 23 per cent due to the annual feria held each year in the city, although the average price was just €97 per night. 

The Balearic Islands registered increases of 18 per cent this month with an average price of €151 per night. The Canary Islands was up 13 per cent to €94 per night.

Benidorm’s average hotel rate so far this month is €145 per night, which is 12 per cent more than in July.

In Salou in Catalonia prices reached €167, up six per cent.

By region the increases were 12 per cent for Murcia, 10 per cent for Andalucia and seven per cent for Valencia, to €87, €91 and €94 respectively. In the Cantabria Region the average price was €140, which is 27 per cent more than in July.

Asturias’s average hotel rate was €103 per night, up 23 per cent.

Galicia registered an 11 per cent increase to €91 per cent.

There were no major changes to hotel rates in inland municipalities, except Navarra where prices fell by 40 per cent from €124 in July when the San Fermin festival is held to €75 per night this month.

Many of the European capitals hotel rates’s are also cheaper this month compared to July.

Luxury yachts floating in crisis in Marbella

Spanish press attention to tourism with luxury yachts have been affected by the economic crisis to a lesser extent. Although the range of luxury yachts is greater than demand so traffic luxury yachts waters along the Costa del Sol. Prices of luxury yachts have fallen since 2009, said Richard Scott, vendors at Ventura Yacht, Puerto Banus, Marbella. Demand is greatest from Russia and the Middle East.
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Customers include people with “big money” that want to have taps in gold or diamonds, helicopter on board, or a smaller submarine. Others move their boat in aircraft between Malaga and Russia. The boats used during the two summer months and priority destinations in Marbella in the Mediterranean, Turkey, Greece, southern France, Italy, the Balearics and Croatia, said Chris Rimmer, director and vendor of the brand Princess in Puerto Banus, many of the people has also luxury Marbella villas, Marbella apartments and property Marbella.
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A major project on the Costa del Sol is La Bajadilla in Marbella. Here comes the sheik from Qatar, Abdullah Bin Nasser Al-Thani, investing large amounts to the port to become a luxury marina. In Puerto Banus lies the yacht on line. Some are owned by the Saudi royal family, such as “Lady Haya” and “Shafer London” which is owned by Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud.
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A boat of the brand Princess will cost 2.2 million Euros while a boat at Ventura Yachts priced from 500.000 Euros to several million Euros. One of the most exclusive boats is “Pershing 115 ‘, 35 meters long and 7.20 meters wide. It is on three floors with two garages and cost 13.5 million Euros. Other boats with three planes are “Custom Line 100 “, 30.75 meters long and 7.25 meters wide, and” Princess 72 “, 22.32 meters long and 5.49 meters wide.

 

NATIONAL POLICE are investigating the robbery of a 500-kilo safe from the palace of Prince Salman of Saudi Arabia in Marbella.

The safe, containing valuable jewellery and watches was apparently wrenched from the wall and taken in a van when the ‘Al Riyad’ palace, opposite the Puente Romano Hotel, was empty. The thieves left via the main gate and although the palace has CCTV cameras, they captured nothing of the robbery.

Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, is the governor of Riad and brother of the deceased King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, and has been spending holidays with his family in Marbella for the past 30 years. This year, as Ramadan is in August, they returned to Saudi Arabia in late July.

Katie Price wears tiny shorts as she ignores the local food to lunch at McDonalds in Marbella

She could have had the pick of the finest tapas as she enjoys her summer holiday in the south of Spain - but Katie Price decided that only McDonalds would hit the spot for lunch yesterday. 

Looking toned and tanned, the star took her children Princess and Junior  out for some Happy Meals as they enjoy a sunshine break in Puerto Banus near Marbella.

The 33-year-old star was wearing a neon pink striped sheer vest top that gave a glimpse of her leopard print bikini underneath.

Thigh's the limit: Katie Price was wearing some tiny denim cut-off shorts on holiday in Marbella, Spain, yesterday

Love you: The star puckered up to her gorgeous little girl Princess on the say there

She'd teamed the top with tiny denim cut-off shorts with a leopard print belt, together with aviator shades and her blonde hair piled on top of her head. 

 

 

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Cute Princess meanwhile has her gorgeous curly white blonde hair even longer than usual and little Junior was so cute he was almost as edible as his Happy Meal.  

The star's Argentinian toyboy lover Leandro Penna and his sister are also out there with Katie and the family.

Al fresco lunch: Katie had treated her children to a Happy Meal each at McDonalds

Family affair: The star is on an extended holiday with 16 members of family, friends and staff

Last week, as she went shopping, he was seen keeping fit by going for a run. 

And yesterday, Katie wrote: 'Cup of tea nooooo leo sister making me there (sic) special coffee and I don't drink coffee but ill try it!!#'

Katie revealed last night that she has one week left in Spain, then said cryptically: 'I love getting excited! I am excited! I'm excited cause soo many good things happening x'

However, despite being on holiday, the star has still been doing a spot of work.

She's given an interview to this week's issue of OK! magazine, in which she reveals that Dwight Yorke hasn't seen his son, Katie's Price's nine-year-old Harvey, for three years. 

Hola chicas: Katie cuddled Princess as they walked in the hot Spanish sun  

Finger licking good: Adorable little Princess was seen sucking her thumb after her lunch

The glamour model turned business woman said: 'I think it's been about three years since Dwight last saw Harvey. I asked Harvey: 'What colour is Dwight?' and he said: 'Green!' And I said: 'What colour hair has he got?' and he said: 'Yellow!' He may as well because his dad is a clown. It's really sad though I would absolutely love Dwight to  be involved in his life.'

'Dwight, get in touch with your son!

However, she revealed that Leandro was wonderful with her son, saying: 'Because Leo is very animated and sporty, he pushes the boundaries and gets him to do things which we're too frightened to ask him to do.

Fun in the sun: Katie with Harvey and boyfriend Leandro Penna in Puerto Banus earlier this month

'If Harvey's in a bad mood, everybody is like, you can't take him shopping, and Leo is like. "I'm taking him shopping!" And he does and it works!'

And in what will be a blow to ex-husbands Peter Andre and Alex Reid, she said: 'Out of all the guys I've been with, Leo has been the best with Harvey, definitely.

'He has a real love for him and Harvey loves him back - he wants to cuddle him all the time.'

The star has also lashed out again at comedian Frankie Boyle after he mocked Harvey on his Channel 4 show Tramadol Nights. 

She wrote on her Twitter last night: 'FB is a c*** I will stick up for people with disabilities till day I die.'

Katie and the family, as well as friends and staff members bringing the party numbers up to 16, are staying in a luxury villa overlooking Marbella, which has eight bedrooms, a health spa, sauna and swimming pool surrounded by fountains, as well as a flood-lit garden and terrace.

 

 

kosher vacationers to Andalusia’s sun coast were thrilled learn that Chabad opened a fully stocked kosher supermarket this summer in Marbella.

kosher vacationers to Andalusia’s sun coast were thrilled learn that Chabad opened a fully stocked kosher supermarket this summer in Marbella. Ideally located in the center of the 83 mile coastal stretch that runs from Malaga to Gibraltar, the supermarket made news in Europe’s Jewish communities. A breezy two hour flight from most points in western Europe, Spain’s southern coast is a popular vacation destination.

“Every summer we get countless calls from travelers who want to know where they can buy kosher food,” Chana Goldstein, Chabad representative with her husband, Cheski, told lubavitch.com. The steady stream of kosher tourists coming from France, England Belgium and beyond, challenged the Goldsteins to step up to the plate and fill it with the variety of kosher ethnic foods to satisfy diverse palates.

“We get people of Sephardic/Mediterranean, Ashkenzaic European, and American backgrounds, and the Costa del Sol Kosher supermarket caters to them all.”

So did a Jewish concert sponsored by Chabad that drew 2000 people to a bullring in Estepona last week. Three pop singers, and the Eighth Day Band, each with their own Jewish influence and appeal, delivered a spirited musical experience in the town bullring—offered by the municipality for the concert.

In Marbella for six years, Rabbi Goldstein and his wife planned the concert so that Jewish vacationers, backpackers and locals from New York to Israel and all points in between, would have an opportunity to pull their energy together in song and celebration during summer’s high season when so many converge upon the area. "We're especially grateful to Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky for his help with this, the new supermarket and during every step of our growth here," says Rabbi Goldstein. 

It’s Thursday afternoon, and Chana has tallied orders for 800 challahs (twisted Sabbath breads) and still counting, for Shabbat dinner.

Things are slower during the winter months, but with a Jewish community of roughly 150 families dispersed along the coast, and some 600 Jews in Gibraltar, the Goldsteins—the only Chabad representatives in all of Southern Spain—keep busy. Hebrew school, adult education, bar/bat mitzvah services and women’s programs reach Jewish families along the coast and from Seville to Granada.

“We try to reach out to Jewish people spread along the entire area,” says Rabbi Goldstein. “The kosher supermarket—a novelty in this region, will attract many more.”

 

Spain leading the ranking of countries where this originates, British holidaymakers file up to £24 million in lost, stolen or damaged possessions, baggage and money insurance claims.

More British tourists have suffered from a lost or stolen item in the last two years, a new study shows.

With Spain leading the ranking of countries where this originates, British holidaymakers file up to £24 million in lost, stolen or damaged possessions, baggage and money insurance claims.

Between 2008 and 2009 British insurance companies saw an increase of 43% in lost or stolen money claims, according to analysis made by Sainsbury's Travel Insurance.

Over one in four claims of this nature (27.6%) originated in Spain, generating a value of around £7 million a year. Other popular countries where these kinds of claims originate are France (7.8%); the USA (5.7%); Italy (4.1%); and Turkey (3.7%).

Overall, British tourists make travel insurance claims worth around £24 million a year.

£1 million unclaimed

Research also highlights that for every £4 million of travel insurance claims received; there is £1 million that goes unclaimed.

This means that a high number of British holidaymakers still travel without any insurance, making them lose a valuable quantity of money.

"Lost or stolen money, baggage and possessions is a common problem for Britons on holiday. Over the past three years the average claim value for lost or stolen money was nearly £170. When you consider any expensive items you may have in your baggage such as watches or cameras, incidents of lost or stolen baggage can be very expensive if you don't have travel insurance,” commented David Barrett, Sainsbury's Travel Insurance Manager.

He pointed out the importance of having adequate cover before setting off on holiday and added:

"Good travel cover does not need to be expensive; holidaymakers should shop around to get a competitive price and adequate levels of cover before they even pack their suitcase or organise their travel money. If they don't, they could end up badly out of pocket."

Having reliable travel insurance can help us save a great amount of money in case some problem comes up when we are abroad. You may be able to reduce the risk of theft by using a travel money card instead of carrying large amounts of cash with you when on holiday.

Residential property prices in Spain are still falling with overall values down 5.2% over the 12 months to the end of June but the figures reveal that some locations such as Mallorca are faring better

Residential property prices in Spain are still falling with overall values down 5.2% over the 12 months to the end of June but the figures reveal that some locations such as Mallorca are faring better than others.

Most notable the Balearic Islands are proving to be more resilient than the Spanish mainland. While places like Alicante have seen prices fall by 7.7% and Huelva by 8.2% in the last 12 months, according to the official House Price Index published by the Government, Balearic prices have fallen by 4.5%.

On a quarterly basis the Balearic Islands have also fared well, with prices falls of 1.5% in the second quarter of the year whereas Alicante has seen a quarterly decline of 2.95, Huelva is down 2.1% and Almeria down 2.5%.

Mallorca has not suffered as much in the downturn, especially at the top end of the market where there is simply not the same oversupply as you would find on for example the Costa del Sol, according to Stephen Dight, managing director of Mallorca Sotheby's International Realty.
 
He warned that buyers and sellers need to be aware that the official figures are skewed as they only deal with the average property. ‘Things are very different in the upper echelons where price reductions have been far less marked. Sometimes clients approach us with an ill advised perception that they can pick up bargain property in Mallorca. It's simply not the case,’ he explained.

‘Once we have a buyer's specific requirements we can pretty much show them every house that fits that criteria in one day. There just isn't an abundance of quality property on the market and therefore any need for huge discounting,’ added Dight.

Another factor is that there are many different nationalities participating in the real estate market on the islands.

‘Over the years Germans have made up the majority of foreign homeowners in Mallorca and their recession is behind them so there is not a huge supply of motivated sellers on the Island.  Contrast that with the Costa del Sol where over 50% of the foreign homeowners are British. Many of them are now hugely motivated to release the capital tied up in their second homes in order to fund their businesses and their interests back in the UK at a time when the British banks have effectively stopped lending,’ said Dight.



‘As sterling has depreciated, these vendors are prepared to slash prices in the knowledge that the exchange rate will protect them against huge losses. This scenario has not existed in Mallorca,’ he added.

Sotheby’s believes that prices in Mallorca have reached the flat line of the U and will fall no further. ‘If a suitable property becomes available there is little benefit to be gained from waiting any longer to buy. At Mallorca Sotheby's International Realty we are now genuinely busy but the market is not on fire to the extent that anything will sell. Only correctly priced top quality, not necessarily top priced, homes are selling and they must be virtually faultless in terms of their presentation and location,’ explained Dight.

Mallorca is always popular with foreign visitors and this is good news for the real estate industry, especially those in the buy to let and holiday home sector. In the first weekend of August Palma International Airport broke its own record, handling 160,000 passengers in a single day according to officials.

Palma's Airport is one of the top twenty busiest airports in Europe, ranked 16th in 2010 when over 21.1 million passengers passed through as well as being the third busiest in Spain, after Madrid Barajas and Barcelona El Prat.

According to Ignacio Osle, sales and marketing director of house builder Taylor Wimpey de España, more tourists and visitors help to boost the local economy which included the property market.

Three Romanians killed in fairground accident in Spain

Three Romanians were killed and another injured on Tuesday when a carriage on a fairground ride in central Spain became untethered, local authorities said.
"We were informed at 5:00 am that an accident at the fairground had left two people dead and two others seriously injured, one of whom died afterwards," said an official in the Toledo region, Javier Corrochano.
The injured person, a Romanian girl of about 16, is "in a very serious condition, he said.
She suffered a cranial fracture, according to a statement from the town hall at Villacanas, where the accident took place.
It said the accident happened when a carriage in the fairground's "Xtrem" ride broke loose.
It said the three men who died were all Romanian nationals.

 

British travelling public’s love for Spanish holidays sees no signs of waning as travel companies continue to see bookings increase to both mainland and island destinations.

The British travelling public’s love for Spanish holidays sees no signs of waning as travel companies continue to see bookings increase to both mainland and island destinations. Self-catering company Villarenters has seen searches for Majorca soar by 65% compared to last year and claims that bookings in some towns, such as Pollensa and Palma Nova, have trebled compared to last year. Bed bank youhotels.com has also seen an increase in bookings to the Balearic island with sales up 18% compared to last year. This continues into winter, where the company has seen sales increase 10% alongside a 47% rise for sales to Costa Blanca and double bookings for Costa Dorada. “Spain has seen a real resurgence in popularity this year as customers have returned to the western Mediterranean resorts in droves - and this is set to continue into the winter months too it seems,” said Liz Garfield, head of UK sales at youhotels.com. “We’re expecting to see even more growth for the Canary Islands in particular as we get to late August / early September and people are back from their summer holidays. Winter sales for Malta are also looking very strong with huge growth for St Julian’s, Sliema and Mellieha specifically”. Victoria Sanders, managing director at Villarenters said the increased interest had come from the destination’s proximity to the UK and other global situations. “Customers appear to want to stay a bit closer to home and choose the ‘safe’ option – political unrest across North Africa and the uncertain economic outlook will undoubtedly have played a role,” she explained.

Spain is the country most likely for British tourists to be arrested, hospitalised or need consular assistance when on holiday

Spain is the country most likely for British tourists to be arrested, hospitalised or need consular assistance when on holiday, a report from the Foreign Office has found.

Last year, 1,745 UK holidaymakers or expats were detained in Spain followed by 1,272 in the US and 159 in France.

New figures have also shown that proportionate to visitor numbers, Brits abroad are also likely to be arrested in Thailand.

The total number of arrests worldwide was at 5,700 last year, dropping slightly from 6,439 the year before and 6,919 in 2008-09.

A poll from the Foreign Office found that two thirds of Britons don't always find out the laws of the country they're visiting before they travel, putting them at rish for crimes such as wearing camouflage in Barbados, making satirical jokes about the Thai royal family and wearing a bikini in the streets of Barcelona.

It also found that 32 per cent of Brits aren't aware that they would be prosecuted under local law if they broke the rules while abroad.

Minister for Europe David Lidlington said: 'We work hard to warn British nationals about the consequences of breaking the law abroad so it is really encouraging to see the overall number of cases of arrests and drug arrests falling.

'Prison conditions in some parts of the world can be very poor, overcrowded and in some cases dangerous, and sentences can be much tougher than in the UK.

'People are mistaken if they think the Foreign Office can get you out of jail. We can't, but we will work hard to try and ensure your safety, and that you get a fair trial.'

Jamaica, Norway, Argentina, Brazil, Serbia and Peru were the countries with the most drug arrests. The poll of 2,000 UK adults also found that 43 per cent of 18-24 year olds knew someone who had taken illegal drugs while abroad.

While the number of arrests fell last year, the number of Britons requiring hospital treatment abroad increased despite visitor numbers falling.

The number of sexual assaults on UK tourists abroad rose from 140 to 163, but the number of rapes fell from 155 to 132, with Egypt being the country where Brits were most likely to be sexually assaulted, followed by Turkey.

Last year the number of Britons losing or having their passports stolen fell from 27,272 in the previous year to 25,969.

Authorities in the Dominican Republic have seized more than 400 kilograms of cocaine hidden in crates of tobacco about to be exported to Spain.

The National Drug Control agency says the cocaine was found in a truck filled with whole tobacco leaves during an inspection at the seaport in Haina, just outside the capital of Santo Domingo.
Agency spokesman Roberto Lebron says the crates were intended to be loaded on a ship bound for Spain. He says a tobacco exporter and a customs agent are being questioning after being detained Thursday.
Last year, authorities in Valencia, Spain, seized 1.2 tons of cocaine found in containers of construction equipment that had been shipped from the same Dominican port.