The extremely high prices for pre-pay international roaming suggest that the UK operators are able to exploit a lack of consumer awareness

Chris Kenny of Oftel

The cost of 'roaming' - the service which allows UK customers to use their mobile phone abroad - are much higher than those in France, Germany, Sweden and Italy.

According to Oftel, the telecoms watchdog that carried out the study, as well as paying higher prices for outgoing calls, UK consumers can pay up to �1.50 a minute to receive incoming calls whilst travelling in Europe.

Many people get caught out because they are unaware of the high prices, and that they get charged for simply receiving calls while abroad.

Less than a quarter of consumers had any knowledge of the price of using a mobile phone abroad when they bought their phone.

Consumer advice

Chris Kenny, Director of Regulatory Policy, said: "There appears to be no clear reason why UK pre-pay consumers pay twice as much as their European counterparts to use their mobile phone abroad.

"The extremely high prices for pre-pay international roaming suggest that the UK operators are able to exploit a lack of consumer awareness. Better consumer information is vital if prices for pre-pay international roaming in the UK are to come down."

Oftel has set out measures to improve consumer awareness and to hep consumers save money when using their mobile on holiday or abroad on business: