Hookers, pickpockets and muggers are preying on Brits at one of Europe’s cheapest holiday spots.
Hundreds of thousands of UK tourists travel to Sunny Beach resort in Bulgaria, where pints are as little as £1.
But the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has warned that the area is attracting criminals from across eastern Europe.
The FCO said: “Tourists are targeted by thieves and pickpockets in Sunny Beach. There has been an increase in burglaries from hotel rooms.”
The office also said vice girls and strip club bosses were targeting visitors.
“We’ve received numerous reports of muggings and assaults of British nat-ionals by prostitutes and their minders.
"Avoid areas where prostitutes operate, including car parks, the beach, badly lit areas, and areas with bushes and trees,” it said.
“Tourists have been victims of overcharging in strip clubs [and] threatened with violence if they don’t pay.”
Travellers hiring cars are also falling victim to scams, amid reports of “tyres being deliberately punctured”.
The Black Sea destination is the least dear of 18 European resorts surveyed for the Post Office’s Holiday Costs Barometer this year.
Bulgaria’s Ministry of the Interior said it had allocated extra resources for officers in tourist areas. A total of 328,696 Brits visited the country last year, compared with 164,700 in 2015.
A Balkan Holidays spokesperson said: “We’ve noted the FCO’s announcement, which could relate to most holiday destinations. We will monitor the situation and keep our clients appraised of any developments.”
Use head to avoid trouble
by Mirror Travel Editor Nigel Thompson
There’s nothing wrong with sensible travel advice but this does sound a bit like nanny state scaremongering to me.
So avoid car parks, badly lit areas, alleys and areas with bushes and trees at night. Thanks for stating the bleeding obvious.
Presumably tens of thousands of Brits go to Sunny Beach take the sensible precautions and have a perfectly nice, bargain holiday in the sunshine.
Of course it’s unfortunate if a minority are the victims of crime. But if it’s that bad, surely local police would do something about it?
Tourist resorts do not like bad publicity and often act fast to stamp out trouble.
If somewhere looks dodgy, it probably is. So use common sense. You don’t need a civil servant to tell you that.