If you find yourself at the centre of a crisis while in Bangladesh, a Blackburn man may well be the first representative of the British Government you meet.

Former St Wilfrid's High School student Toafiq Wahab is Head of Consular Services, otherwise known as Her Majesty's British Consul and is based in the capital city Dhaka.

Toff as he is known to many people has the role of looking after the interests and well-being of British nationals visiting and residing in Bangladesh.

The 32-year-old father-of-two heads a network of wardens and leads on consular policy, extradition cases, contingency and emergency planning and maintaining high level liaison with local authorities.

His normal day to day job could see him called-up when a British national is arrested, visiting a British National in prison or having to deal with a forced marriage case.

He said: "Consular work is exciting and no day is the same. You never know what to expect next.

"The purpose of the FCO is to work for UK interests. This could include developing and delivering specific international policies and providing consular, visa and commercial services to British Citizens, businesses and others."

"I would urge all British nationals when visiting another country to register with the British Embassy/High Commission. This is especially significant when you visit developing countries such as Bangladesh.

"For example if anything does go wrong then we know exactly where you are.

"During the recent cyclone in Bangladesh as well as keeping the British Government informed of the situation on the ground our role was to assist the British nationals who may have been caught up in the disaster."

In recent years the Foreign Office has taken a proactive role in assisting both men and women(British Nationals) who are forced into marriages against their will.

Toff said: "It is one of the most pressing issues we deal with. We are always keen to make a distinction between forced and arranged marriages.

"There is one crucial difference between the two: consent. An arranged marriage is a deal between two families, sealed with the consent of both husband and wife.

"But in a forced marriage there is no consent by either one of the parties."

Toff left St Wilfrid's CE High School, Blackburn and briefly worked for the Blackburn with Darwen Council, HM Customs & Excise and the Halifax Bank before landing a role within the HM Diplomatic Service with the Foreign Office.

Whilst doing this job in London he was also the Chairman of the service's Ethnic Minority Advisory Group (EMAG). His efforts in the service were quickly recognised by an invitation to an event hosted by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in May 1998 for outstanding achievement.

For more information about the Foreign and Commonwealth Office visit the website www.fco.gov.uk where you can also find Travel Advice notices for over 200 countries.