Stag parties warned of Riga scam

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British men on stag nights in Latvia are being lured into strip bars before being beaten up and forced to hand over cash, the British embassy has warned.

Officials in the Latvian capital Riga say men are being enticed into the bars with the promise of free alcohol.

They are then prevented from leaving by those running the scam until a large bill has been settled.

The British embassy in Riga is warning those visiting the city of the scam and has contacted the local authorities.

One victim told the BBC his group had been forced to hand over £3,000 after they were lured into a bar and then beaten up.

'Punched'

John, 29, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, said: "It's pretty frightening when you see one of your friends punched in the stomach and another one getting carted off into a room and you don't know what's happening to them.

"And throughout the whole thing, there's that fear factor of, 'OK, I could roll with the punches, but what's going on with my friends here?'.

"I don't think I deserved it. How can you justify being beaten up for a drink? It just doesn't make any sense."

Strip bar owners said it was British men who were causing trouble and getting into fights.

'Savages'

One owner, Eddie, said: "A lot of them - they're bad lads too. They don't think about Latvian people. They think if they are foreigners everything will be for them. No."

Another, Dima, said: "I saw many, many fights in the clubs. Some time they go away from there blue eye or broken nose."

Earlier this year a Latvian MP branded British tourists "savages" after more people began visiting on cheap flights recently launched from Liverpool.

Oskars Kastens said tourists were behaving inappropriately, particularly at night.

In June officials in Riga - which has recently become a popular destination for revellers and stag parties - said they were considering banning strip clubs from the historic city centre.