Order me a large: Deckchairs get bigger as Brits get fatter

Southsea Deckchairs

Beach bosses are having to order an increasing amount of 'Wideboy' deck chairs - to accommodate the growing behinds of British holidaymakers.

Originally designed for couples to get cosy together on the beach, the double-decker deck chair is more often than not being used by overweight tourists keen to avoid an embarrassing getting-stuck scenario.

Southsea Deckchairs, who make the Wideboy, says it's even had to increase the size of its standard-sized deckchair by 2.5cms to keep up with Britons' ever-expanding waistlines.

The firm, based in Hampshire, supplies deck chairs to tourist attractions and resorts across Britain, and says it has to strengthen its chairs as well as widen them.

Stephen Davies of Southsea Deckchairs told the Daily Mail: "Our standard Southsea deckchair has got wider over the years and this is because people are getting wider.

"The Wideboy idea came to me after a visit to the US many years ago where people seemed to be much wider.

"Long limbed, tall people also seem to like it because they can stretch out."

The world's biggest deckchair was unveiled on Bournemouth beach in March 2012. Photo: PA

Meanwhile, you'd have to be truly enormous to fill the deckchair that was unveiled as the largest in the world on Bournemouth beach back in March.

The giant chair was built by sculptor Stuart Murdoch, weighs almost six tonnes and measures eight and a half metres tall.

Whatever sized deckchair you've got, take it to one of these beaches for the best sandy spots in Britain:

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