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'Rude, flaky and drunk'

Foreigners reveal what they find most annoying about British people

Foreigners have been revealing what they find most annoying about Brits

BRITAIN is the eighth biggest tourist destination in the world, with more than 36 million people visiting the country in 2015.

But while there are plenty of admirable qualities in our quirky culture,  there are also plenty of character traits that foreigners can't stand.

Foreigners have been revealing what they find most annoying about Brits
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Foreigners have been revealing what they find most annoying about BritsCredit: Alamy

Holidaymakers have been sharing the things they find most annoying about Britain and British people on the online forum , and it turns out there is plenty to gripe about.

While we think the English manners are something to be proud off, it turns out "fake politeness" is actually very annoying for visitors.

Competitive drinking in British pubs, where people buy rounds for each other, is also seen as an irritating trait.

Unsurprisingly, the old fashioned class system also came in for some criticism, with many considering it out of date in the modern world.

Read on to discover more about what outsiders can't stand about the Brits and British culture...

Drinking

 Heavy drinking was a major gripe for foreigners
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Heavy drinking was a major gripe for foreignersCredit: Getty Images

Binge drinking - especially by UK holidaymakers - is the number one complaint against the British.

Tom Wills, who lives in the US, described British drinking culture as "an unqualified disgrace" and another American complained that drunk British tourists could make a "frat party look tame".

Experiences of drunk Brits included those who had left vomits in hotel hallways in Cyprus and hen dos where women each had their own pitcher of Sangria that they drank straight from the jug.

Many blame the drunkeness  on our polite custom of buying rounds for each other, which pressurises drinkers into keeping up with the fastest boozer in the group.

Fake politeness

 Brits who tell each other lies in order to be polite just annoy and confuse non-Brits
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Brits who tell each other lies in order to be polite just annoy and confuse non-BritsCredit: Getty Images

Brits are world famous for their manners, but it's not always for the right reasons - it turns out our politeness is actually very irritating.

While we may know that "how are you" is a throwaway greeting and not a request to hear about a person's mood - foreigners can find it strange or even rude.

Norwegian, Jenny Bakken said: "The constant questions of 'how are you' and 'how are you doing, love' always annoy me when I am travelling in English-speaking countries.

"I see it almost as an offence that they asked, but they're not actually interested in my life or how I am doing."

Meanwhile Brit Tom Wills revealed his American wife couldn't stand British "flakiness".

She had noticed friends from the UK would say they would "pop 'round", even when they had no intention of doing so.

He joked: "England will win the World Cup three times in a row before you 'pop 'round', so don't create an expectation you don't intend to fulfil, and we'll all live happily ever after."

Snobbery

 Brits were also criticised for their  sense of superiority when comparing themselves to other nationalities
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Brits were also criticised for their  sense of superiority when comparing themselves to other nationalitiesCredit: Getty Images

Brits often think that their culture is better than others... and they aren't afraid to make it known apparently.

The British sense of superiority was one of the biggest pet peeves among tourists visiting.

Karol Thornton-Remiszewski claimed that we have a bad "attitude towards anyone who isn't British".

Another anonymous poster said: "They insist that only they know the 'proper' way to do something, and their general feeling of smug superiority.

"This can sort of be understood coming from a university professor, but from a plumber, cycle courier or bartender?"

Classism

 Tourists cannot understand why the UK still has a strong class system in place... and tourists hate it
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Tourists cannot understand why the UK still has a strong class system in place... and tourists hate itCredit: Getty Images

Despite numerous attempts by politicians and rock stars, the class system is still firmly in place in the UK - and tourists can't stand it.

For example, Richard Sexton, who lives in Nanjing, China, believes that our society is ruined by "rampant, unspoken classism".

He said: "People treat each other far, far differently depending on their accent and the status that they express in public.

"That's bad enough, but the general attitude that it's not awful, it's just British, makes it even worse."

Another writer complained about our "tendency to form cliques based on education, football teams etc, and then using these cliques for petty politicking and bullying".



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