As the credit crunch takes hold, shoe-lovers are not sacrificing the maintenance of their favourite footwear, it seems.

An area that has seen a particular rise in the number of shoes repairs is Henley, as shoe repair chain Timpson reports a surge in cobbling requests.

Manager of the store Glen Hiscock said that since people started tightening their belts, the store has “seen a lot more business”, reported the Henley Standard.

“Five years ago we were told the end could be nigh for cobblers. Every cloud has a silver lining,” he added.

Tony Lane, aged 91 and former town mayor is also a cobbler and has reported similar incidents and said he is even working on new shoes that people buy cheaply and request to be strengthened.

“Even when I have improved them, the shoes are still far less expensive,” he elaborated.

Other thrifty Brits have recently taken advantage of shoe schemes - such as one held in Wiltshire which saw older generations exchange ill-fitting slippers for new ones.

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