A leading optometrist said children as young as three should be wearing them to protect their eyes from harmful UV rays.

And shades in all shapes and sizes have been spotted on the heads of the fashion conscious around the county.

The England cricket team will be sporting specially-designed sunglasses as they open their bid to recapture the Ashes.

On the streets of Preston, dozens of people were out and about wearing their shades.

Joan Roffe, from Avenham, loves her sunnies so much she even wears them indoors. She said: "I wouldn't be without them. I've got to wear them indoors because my living room is so bright I'm squinting.

Rijay Parmar, 26, from Broadgate, said: "Mine are prescription glasses with reactions lenses and I wear them all the time."

Lorraine Finley, who works at Preston College, was wearing "designer look-alikes" she picked up in Barcelona.She said: "I wear them to feel trendy and to hide behind them. They also protect my eyes from the sun."

Her colleague Vicky Whitehead, an admissions adviser, was sporting Chanel shades.

She said: "I've had them about a year. I always have them for driving or put them on my head and forget about them."

Student Christian Simpson, 20, wore distinctive white shades from Topman.

He said: "I wear them every day if it's sunny enough. But I only wear them in the sun."

And 33-year-old Michael Gallacher, from Leyland, wore his Ben Shermans while out shopping.

He said: "These were a present but I usually only pay about £30 for them.I wear them to protect my eyes when I'm driving. I also wear them in the winter when the sun's low and when it's sunny."

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