Wearing boat shoes and no socks has caused a foot fungus epidemic

There is a particular type of person that wears boat shoes without socks. They're probably called Lawrence or Freddie and enjoy going to the rugby sevens at Twickers. They're also more likely to have a grim, stanky foot condition.

This is because this sockless boat shoe trend has led to a rise in fungal foot infections in young men, according to The College of Podiatry.

Emma Stephenson, a podiatrist, has said she's seeing more 18-25 year-old men, presumably all very middle class, experiencing issues with foot fungus because they are wearing shoes without socks.

Emma explains, in rather gross terms, that feet usually produce around half a pint of sweat a day, and it's the excess moisture and warmth caused by boat shoes not being made out of a very breathable material that leads to these fungal infections.

Her advice is to try and minimise the amount of time you're wearing shoes without socks, obviously, or to spray some deodorant on your feet before you put your shoes on.

Many chaps are now turning to those little invisible footsie socks. It's a shame the price of avoiding a potentially crippling fungal infection is looking slightly ridiculous.