The financial crisis and a weaker pound mean fewer Britons are going abroad for their holidays, boosting the domestic travel market hurt by fewer foreign tourists visiting Britain, figures released on yesterday showed.

The number of Britons travelling abroad fell 10 per cent in the year to June 2009 compared with the 12 months to June 2008, the Office for National Statistics said, as sinking sterling made foreign trips more expensive for cash-strapped Britons. A flagging economy and low interest rates have pushed the pound to near record lows against the euro and US dollar, making Britons more keen to travel within the country.

The "staycation" phenomenon, where people holiday at home, has boosted the domestic market in Britain with cheaper holiday options like caravanning and camping in high demand.

The picture shows a woman sitting in a deckchair on the sand on the South Bank of the River Thames, central in London yesterday. (Reuters)

Butter deployed against burglars

Residential property managers in China have turned to butter in their battle against burglars as a cheap alternative to repairing their broken surveillance system.

They smeared 100 kilograms of butter on the gas pipelines that run outside the buildings on the Mingdemen estate in Xi'an, making them too slippery to climb, Xinhua news agency said yesterday.

"Natural gas pipelines are often used as 'ladders' by burglars and burglaries are rife here," one Mingdemen manager was quoted as saying.

About 1,200 of the 2,000 units are rented out, so it can be difficult to determine who actually lives there and "some bad guys may sneak in", he said.

"Using butter is the most economical way," the manager said. (AFP)

A cuppa really does help

Researchers produced evidence yesterday to support what most of us already knew - that a cup of tea is the answer to any crisis.

Dr Malcolm Cross, a psychologist at City University London, tested the anxiety levels of a group of people following a stressful situation and revealed that even a single cuppa has a significant calming effect.

His team gave 42 volunteers a mental arithmetic exam and afterwards offered half of them a cup of tea and the other half a glass of water.

The water group's anxiety levels soared by 25 per cent compared to before the task, while the tea group actually reported a four per cent reduction in anxiety - despite the taxing test, they were more relaxed than when they started.

According to a survey carried out for the research, 68 per cent of Britons turn to tea in a dilemma, making it the nation's most common response to trouble of whatever kind. (AFP)

Bizarre requests

British embassies around the world are receiving bonkers request which are driving the Foreign Office up the wall.

The country's 261 diplomatic missions across the globe are getting fed up of bizarre demands for help from Brits abroad, some of whom seem to think the British embassy is an agency for finding lost sunglasses and paying bills or for offering tips on jam-making and how best to discipline naughty boys.

"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," said Juliet Maric, the British Consul in Alicante on the Spanish east coast.

"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 need to focus resources on the serious cases that we're there to help with."

"It's important that British nationals understand what the Foreign Office can and can't do for them," said consular affairs minister Chris Bryant. (AFP)

Body parts in sewage works

Body parts belonging to a baby have been found in a sewage treatment works near Hull, police said yesterday.

The gruesome discovery was made on Wednesday at the Saltend plant. The baby's age and sex were not immediately known.

Officers have appealed for the child's mother to come forward.

"I would like to appeal directly to the mother of this baby - or to anyone who may know the identity or whereabouts of this mother," said Superintendent Christine Kelk who is leading the investigation.

"I remain very concerned about your well-being and my immediate priority is to ensure that you receive any necessary midwifery and medical care. (Reuters)