Help over breast enlargement surgery among requests to embassies

HELP with shoe buying, jam making and breast enlargement surgery are among the bizarre requests made by travellers to British embassies worldwide, it has been revealed.

The would-be jam maker asked what ratio of fruit to sugar should be used, the Foreign Office (FO) said.

A holidaymaker visiting Italy asked embassy staff where a particular brand of shoes could be bought.

And a lady unhappy with the size of her surgically enhanced breasts asked for consular assistance.

The FO also reported that a mother had asked the consulate in Florida to help her teenage son pack his suitcase and give him a lift to the airport as he was feeling unwell.

Other requests have included asking for embassy staff to pay a bill when a credit card had “maxed out” and a traveller asking: “Can you tell me how to make my naughty son behave?”

Juliet Maric, the British consul in Alicante, Spain, said: “If you have a serious problem abroad — maybe you’ve been involved in an accident, have lost your passport or are a victim of crime — we can help you.

“But we can’t tell you who is allowed to use your swimming pool, pay your taxi fares for you or do anything about the exchange rate. We regularly get inquiries from people who think we’re a one-stop shop for any problem they might encounter while abroad. This can be frustrating as we need to focus resources on the serious cases that we’re there to help with.”

Consular Affairs minister Chris Bryant said: “Our embassies are not there to provide weather reports or give advice on unruly children. Consular staff are there to help Britons in real difficulty abroad — from victims of crime and bereaved families to those involved in accidents or who have lost their passports.

“It’s important British nationals understand what the FO can and can’t do for them so our staff can focus resources on more serious situations where people really do need our help.”