Elderly people are at greater risk of dehydration than the majority of their younger counterparts, one expert has made clear.

Ian Crowder, public relations manager for the AA, has suggested that older people ought to take more precautions against dehydration if they are in a relatively arid climate.

Mr Crowder stated that when travelling abroad in hot weather by road, elderly people need to make sure that they take a sunhat and lots of water in order to avoid falling victim to serious lack of moisture.

"If you end up by the side of the road for ages because of accident or breakdown, dehydration can be a real and serious problem - especially for the young and aged," he said.

In fact, Mr Crowder claimed that under certain circumstances a person's car can effectively act like an oven, which poses significant dangers to travellers of all ages.

According to the RAC Foundation, British drivers who use roads in Spain and Portugal while on holiday are almost three times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than they would have been had they remained in the UK.