‘Are there vampires in Poland?’: UK embassies received such bizarre questions in 2018

London, Dec 30: Embassies are meant to help citizens of their respective countries when they find themselves in any sort of trouble. But in 2018, UK embassies across the globe faced all sorts of bizarre queries that saw the Foreign Office clarifying that there are things on which the embassies are not being able to provide any service even though they do their best to help UK citizens abroad requiring help.

According to the Foreign Office, it received more than 330,000 calls from Britons between January and November in 2018, and they include 4,900 people who are either arrested and more than 3,400 people who were taken to hospital.

Among the questions that the office received were one from a man who asked if there were vampires in Poland since a woman he was supposed to date sought to know about his blood type! Another caller from the US sought to know from the Foreign Office staff members which contestant was voted off BBC TV show 'Strictly Come Dancing'. Another called from the Netherlands had questions about the plot of Mel Gibson's starrer 'Braveheart' while one man in Argentina wanted a list of women who he might be able to choose as his life partner. In the Canary Islands, someone wanted to help to persuade his hotel to give him a new room since a stray cat had urinated on his bed. Crazy people, isn't it?

Even India was not out of it. A man in New Delhi heard from somewhere that the British High Commission in New Delhi was selling vegetarian sausages and wanted to buy some.

"I can regretfully confirm that the Foreign Office isn't able to offer advice on vampires, rogue stray cats or Strictly [Come Dancing] contestants, and our capacity to deploy veggie sausages remains sadly lacking," a spokesman said. "But in all seriousness, getting into trouble abroad can be daunting and upsetting."