Babies in Britain cry more than almost anywhere else in the industrialised world, according to a new study.

Scientists found the UK came top in the first universal "crying chart" for babies under three months.

Canada, Italy and the Netherlands also topped the international baby crying survey.

Researchers analysed data on almost 8,700 infants taking part in previous studies to find out how upset babies in different countries get in their first 12 weeks of life.

The lowest crying levels in babies were found in Denmark, Germany and Japan.

On average, babies cried for around two hours per day in the first two weeks after birth.

Crying peaked at about two hours, 15 minutes per day at six weeks before gradually reducing to an average of one hour, 10 minutes.

Scientists found that the highest levels of colic - the name given for excessive, frequent crying in a baby, was in the UK with 28% of infants at 1-2 weeks crying for over three hours a day, at least three days a week.

In Canada 34% of babies had colic aged between 3-4 weeks and Italy 20.9% of infants aged 8-9 weeks.

Lowest colic rates were reported in Denmark 5.5% at 3-4 weeks and Germany 6.7% at 3-4 weeks.

Lead researcher Professor Dieter Wolke, from the University of Warwick, who has compiled the chart said: "Babies are already very different in how much they cry in the first weeks of life - there are large but normal variations.

"We may learn more from looking at cultures where there is less crying and whether this may be due to parenting or other factors relating to pregnancy experiences or genetics.

"The new chart of normal fuss/cry amounts in babies across industrialised countries will help health professionals to reassure parents whether a baby is crying within the normal expected range in the first three months or shows excessive crying which may require further evaluation and extra support for the parents."