10 spectacularly strange calls Brits have made to the UK Foreign Office

Plug sockets, bacon, and nudists.
 By 
Sam Haysom
 on 
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

LONDON -- Wherever there's a service that's only meant to be used in emergencies, it's a simple fact of life that there will always be people who attempt to use said service for stuff that's definitely not an emergency.

The British Foreign Office is absolutely no exception. Despite the fact you're only meant to call them for things like crisis situations and important advice, they still get a large number of bizarre requests each year.


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From plug sockets and bacon to butlers and nudists, here are 10 of the of strangest...

1. "A British man asking for assistance to get illegal employment in Singapore"

2. "A man planning to move to Spain who was worried he would encounter nudists walking through the streets"

3.

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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

4. "A European filmmaker looking for an English pensioner to play a part in his new film"

5. "A holidaymaker trying to find Travel Advice for a visit to Coventry"

6. "A confused businessman looking for information on the construction of plug sockets"

7.

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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

8. "A woman who was disappointed the British Embassy has not sent someone to give her a tour of St. Petersburg on her arrival in Russia"

9. "A man in South Korea asking what he could do with his old pound notes"

10. "A mother asking for the contact details of a young British YouTuber, as her son was a fan of his Minecraft videos."

“Our consular staff are a helpful bunch and do an amazing job helping out Brits in trouble around the world," said FCO Minister James Duddridge, "but it is important that people remember they are there to help with genuine emergencies and not as an alternative to directory enquiries.

“Every minute they spend handling a call requesting advice on butlers or nudists is time taken away from dealing with life and death cases, so I urge the public to think before picking up the phone.”

Until next year.

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Sam Haysom

Sam Haysom is the Deputy UK Editor for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time.

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