Making a stink about those who don’t wash

Have you ever had to put up with being near someone who is on the dirty side of smelly?

Maybe you’ve been on the bus, or at work, or perhaps worse still it’s a loved one who could do with a few personal hygiene tips.

Well research from a bathrooms company found, disturbingly, that 8.4m Brits take a shower only once a week.

The figures also revealed that men take less time to have a good scrub than women, average just seven minutes in the shower compared to women taking an average of 13 minutes.

It was carried out by BetterBathrooms.com which wanted to scrub up on all the facts before sending us a press release.

It’s not entirely clear what they intend to do about the fact that 14% of Brits don’t shower more than once a week.

Surely whether or not they have a nice bathroom is not really the issue with this demographic?

Our reporter Aidan Barlow himself faces a similar dilemma, as he tries to install a new bathroom.

For the past several weeks his shower has constituted him sitting in his bath tub and tipping a cocktail jug of water over his head.

This week it’s gone from bad to worse, after removing the tiles from the walls the room now resembles a bomb site. Don’t worry readers, he has been warned not to join the 8% of Brits who say they never take a shower. leads us to some of those with dirty habits. We received a press release about the most “satanic” commuters. On the list of 12 there were several with bad hygiene or standards of cleanliness which make everyone else’s journey a nightmare.

It starts with The Phantom Litterer leaving half-eaten fast food breakfasts lying around, then there is a The Germ Sharer who coughs and sneezes all over the train carriage or bus.

Then there is The Aromatic, who, to put it simply, stinks.

of dirty habits, our regular contributor Ted Prangnell spotted a different shade among the autumn leaves the other week.

But instead of wildlife like squirrels or thrushes, the only wild creature Mr Prangnell seemed to encounter was “a two-legged creature apparently enjoying his oats”.

He said: “I came across a pair of lady’s panties that must have got left behind in a brief moment of panic. They were very brief.

“It set me wondering: What is the difference between a G-string and a thong? The panties appeared to still be in an excellent condition.

“It would be a pity to consign such a romantic garment to the bin. Perhaps I should hand them into the police or lost property. I wonder what readers think?”