There is "some risk" of Britons being targeted by terrorists in South Africa, the Foreign Office (FO) has warned.

In the new travel advice - issued late on Friday - it said Britons also risk being "caught up" in terror attacks aimed at others.

There was also "a risk" of attacks on places were westerners often gather, like hotels, restaurants, costal resorts and tourist sites.

The FO is warning Britons to be "cautious and vigilant", but said most trips to South Africa were trouble free.

A series of recent explosions in South Africa has prompted the amendment to the government's travel advice.

Responsibility

A woman was killed and her husband seriously injured following a blast in a predominantly black Johannesburg township on 30 October.

On the same day another blast occurred at a Buddhist temple in a town outside Pretoria.

A right-wing group, calling itself the "Warriors of the Boer Nation", claimed responsibility for both attacks.

Meanwhile, an explosion occurred at a bridge on South Africa's southern coast on 28 November, though nobody was injured.

The amendment also follows bomb attacks on a hotel in Kenya in November, which killed 13 people, and on a Bali nightclub in October which claimed over 180 lives, including 20 Britons.

In an unconnected move, the Foreign Office has advised Britons to leave Venezuela because of growing civil unrest.

Families of British diplomats and non-essential members of staff will be withdrawn and all other Britons are being advised to leave the South American country.

A strike by oil workers opposed to President Hugo Chavez is now in its 20th day and a Foreign Office spokesman said: "This is likely to impact on critical supplies of essential commodities in coming days and might in turn trigger disturbances."