FORMER England cricketer Phil Tufnell has helped launch a campaign to support men with bladder weakness.

Durham County Cricket Club has become the first sporting venue in the country to provide sanitary bins in male toilets.

The former Middlesex bowler turned broadcaster said: “It’s shocking to think that an issue that affects so many blokes my age is stopping them from getting involved in sport or even spending time with their friends.

“Despite not experiencing it myself, I’m working with TENA Men to encourage men who experience urine leakage to take control, so that they never feel prevented from doing something they enjoy.”

The pioneering move has come following research revealing that almost 200,000 men over 40 no longer attend sporting games due to worries about reaching the bathroom in time due to bladder weakness.

A further 509,000 would be more likely to attend if venues were more accommodating of their needs.

The initiative will see Durham CCC install bins across the male toilets around the main concourse and the hospitality areas of Emirates Riverside ground in Chester-le-Street.

Tufnell said: “It would be great to see other sporting venues follow their lead.”