Malaysia is believed to have become the first country to issue a safety warning to its citizens in the UK due to anti-immigration protests and riots.

The south-east Asian country’s ministry of foreign affairs published an alert on Sunday advising Malaysians living in or visiting the UK to “stay away” from protest areas and “remain vigilant”.

It also “strongly encouraged” people to register with the High Commission of Malaysia in London to “receive timely information and assistance”.

Violence has broken out in several towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland following the killing of three young girls at a dance class in Southport last week.

Many countries around the world, including the US, Germany and Denmark, issued travel advice to their citizens following riots in England in summer 2011.