Irish men are the biggest and tallest they have ever been - and are getting bigger.

Debenhams says demand for outsized clothing has rocketed by 126 per cent in recent months and looks set to climb even faster in the year ahead.

So great is the trend that the department store has now increased the maximum size of the men's tops it sells - from XXL to a colossal X-X-X-X-X-L.

The maximum size of trouser waistlines available online is also increasing from 40 inches to 48 inches, to cater for the nation's burgeoning girth.

A spokesperson for Debenhams says a lot of the men would be classed as big and strong - rather than being overweight.

This is welcome news to women, who according to a recent study, ideally like their partners to be eight inches taller than themselves.