The big increase in British stag and hen parties being held in Prague has seen the Czech Republic climb high in the list of countries where Britons need the most consular assistance.
More Britons lose their passports in the Czech Republic than in Greece even though Greece welcomes three times as many British visitors than the Czech Republic, figures from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) show.
The number of Britons taken to hospital in the Czech Republic is also higher than in Germany, which also receives more than three times the number of Britons than the eastern European country.
The FCO said: "The Czech Republic features as one of the countries where most consular assistance is required with a disproportionate number of lost passports, arrests and hospitalisations. This is likely to be due to the massive influx of hen and stag parties to Prague."
Entitled the British Behaviour Abroad Report, the FCO publication covered the period April 2005 to March 2006.
The report revealed that Spain had the most visits (13.8 million) from British nationals in 2005/06 as well as having the most British deaths (1,325), the most lost passports (6,078) the most cases of UK visitors being arrested (1,549) and the biggest number of serious cases needing consular assistance (5,627).
Greece, however, had the most cases (48) of rape of British nationals and also the highest number of British visitors being taken to hospital (955). Meanwhile only 713 of the 10.98 million British visitors to France managed to lose their passport, as many as 2,023 of the 650,000 visitors to Australia mislaid this vital document.
The five areas where injuries to Britons were most likely were roads, beaches, hotels, remote locations and ski slopes.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister, Meg Munn, said: "One of the most important tasks for the Foreign Office is our work to help British nationals in distress overseas. As this report shows, although some of the incidents people face are unavoidable, many can be prevented with a little planning and careful preparation.
"Simple precautions like researching your destination, getting comprehensive travel insurance, checking out medical requirements and taking copies of important documents could help avoid common travelling traumas, risks and dangers in the long-run."
