Britney Spears ‘used to scare off Somali pirates’

The unusual tactic of playing Britney Spears songs to pirates in a bid to scare them away is being deployed in Somalia.

Hits such as Oops! I Did It Again and Baby One More Time have proved to be particularly effective at keeping bandits at bay in the African country.

Second Officer Rachel Owens, who operates supertankers off the nation's coast, explained security personnel chose Spears' tunes as they felt the pirates were likely to hate them most.

"These guys can't stand western culture or music, making Britney's hits perfect," she said.

Somalia has had a problem with pirates for some time, with armed bandits known to board boats, commit acts of violence and kidnap crews in order to claim millions of pounds in ransom money.

Commenting on the success of the Britney-themed ploy, Ms Owens stated: "It's so effective the ship's security rarely needs to resort to firing guns."