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When it comes to going topless or nude on the beach, Britons are the most prudish.

A third would be left unhappy if their partner whipped off their bikini top to indulge in some topless sunbathing.

And they may have good reason to six per cent of Spaniards or Italians admit to taking sneaky photographs of attractive sunbathers.

A sixth of Italians and Spaniards also get up to naughty shenanigans on the beach while Spaniards and Germans are more likely to go commando on the beach.

(Image: Getty)

And our European cousins find it easier to make friends or flirt on the beach. Over two fifth of Italians and a third of Germans strike up friendships with an eighth of Germans or Spaniards flirting with other beachgoers.

Britons on their holidays spend the least amount of time by the pool or at the beach, with just over a quarter of their time spent there, compared to the Europeans’ average of a third.

But when it comes to hogging the sunloungers, it seems the early rising Germans are not the masters of Europe they once were being beaten to them by the Italians and Spaniards.

Britons are the least vain too being the least likely to get a fake tan or top up on a sunbed before jetting off, going to the gym to get a beach body, go on a diet or simply want to strut up and down posing.

Yet over half of Britons feel confident enough about their beach body that they would sunbathe naked - if they dared.

On the other hand the Spaniards and Italians take the most beach selfies but the Spanish or Germans censor their shots before uploading them for friends and family to see.

(Image: Getty)

And rather than simply build sandcastles a fifth of Italian or Spanish holidaymakers build rude sand sculptures to shock their fellow tourists.

The survey of 6,000 Europeans was carried out by lastminute.com’s ‘Summer Snapshot 2015’of holiday booking trends and beach behaviours.

Spanish resorts were top destination for Britons, followed by Greece, Italy, France and the US.

And we are bigger spenders splashing out an average £1,020 with a fifth spending over £1,500 despite going away on average for 10.16 days, shorter than all the other nations.

Matthew Crummack said: “June is going to be hot when it comes to summer holidays booking and we’ve got something for everyone.

“And whatever you get up to on the beach, do Britain proud and make the most every minute: beat the Italians by snapping up their sunbeds, flirt with fellow sunbathers more than the Germans and build funnier sand sculptures than the Spaniards.”