Women officers in a tight spot

From frontline to waistline: police officers are feeling the pinch in more ways than one. Women police officers are struggling with ill-fitting uniforms that either "don't fit round the bottom" or are "too tight around the thighs", said Julie Nesbit, of the Police Federation.

Trousers that do not fit properly make working long hours and shifts uncomfortable, she added.

Ms Nesbit, chairwoman of the constables' central committee, said: "Women can walk into any high street store and get trousers off the peg that will fit perfectly. But we don't seem to be able to do that with our uniform trousers."

The National Police Uniform Working Group is reviewing uniforms worn across England and Wales, with the aim of introducing a single standard by the start of the Olympic Games.