LONDON - WHEN it comes to shoes, fashion trumps function and even comfort for many British women, according to a survey by a British medical society.

The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists said on Monday that more than a third of British women bought shoes they knew did not fit at sales this summer.

A survey found that 80 per cent of the 2,000 people it polled suffered from a passion for footwear fashion with problems ranging from bunions and corns to cracked heels and in-growing toe nails.

It also said women were not the only ones squeezing their feet into shoes that don't fit them, with nearly a fifth of men (17 per cent) also having bought shoes in the wrong size.

Despite the scale of the nation's foot problems, 40 per cent of those that have ever had a foot problem have never sought medical advice, the society said in a statement.

'Many of us find it hard to resist a bargain and the latest fashion must-have, but it's important to remember that by buying ill-fitting shoes, you're not only going to end up in discomfort, but you are also putting your health at risk,' Lorraine Jones, podiatrist from the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists said in the statement.