A NEW shoe shop in the Yorkshire Dales believes it has found the perfect way to help men relax while their partners browse for footwear.

The shop's solution to the age-old problem is a chill-out zone for men. There they can escape female chatter over shoe sizes, style and fit.

Instead, they sit back in comfortable chairs, read a magazine and can even be served with coffee if the selection session drags on.

Joint shop owner Angela Blackburn admits she has gone into shoe shops with husband Robert, surrounded herself with several pairs, and then chosen the first pair she tried on.

So along with fellow owner, Ann Tunstall, the pair decided their shop, which has just opened in Leyburn Market Place, would have a relaxation zone for partners.

"It's not something we copied or have seen in other shoe shops, just an idea we had ourselves.

"We want people to be relaxed when they come in here so ladies can select their shoes while the men can just sit back in another area and relax," said Mrs Blackburn.

The business is very much a family affair. Mrs Blackburn's husband, Robert, who is an accountant, has taken on the role of looking after the books, while Mrs Tunstall's husband, Alan, who runs a construction firm with son, Bruce, converted the premises into a shoe shop.