Three-quarters of Britons say it is completely unacceptable for men to remove their shirts in public – unless they are on the beach or by the pool.

A survey also found that one in three believe there should actually be a ban on males going topless – and over one in five (22 per cent) believe the culprits should be prosecuted or fined.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, disapproval levels for bare male chests and bellies in public was similar between men and women – with 72 per cent of men and 76 per cent of women calling it ‘unacceptable’.

But 46 per cent of both sexes agreed there could be exceptions to the rule – for example, if someone is in peak physical condition.

The national poll of 2,000 people by insights and research agency Perspectus Global also found a majority disapproval factor for socks worn with sandals (56 per cent), flip flops with hairy toes (62 per cent) and skimpy ‘budgie smuggler’ swimming trunks (52 per cent).

Three-quarters of Britons say it is completely unacceptable for men to remove their shirts in public – unless they are on the beach or by the pool (file pic)

A survey also found that one in three believe there should actually be a ban on males going topless – though it was somewhat more acceptable by the beach (file pic)

Meanwhile, 40 per cent said wearing vests in public was vulgar and should be avoided by men who wish to look stylish in summer.

Commenting on the research findings, celebrity stylist Sinead McKeefry said: ‘As a nation, we are not used to seeing men with their tops off.

‘We go all year-round seeing men fully clothed, and then suddenly, BOOM a heatwave comes, and off come the shirts and t-shirts.’

Harriet Scott, CEO of Perspectus Global, said: ‘Britain has spoken, and it seems, as a nation, we have voted strongly against the notion of men with their tops off in summer.

‘Lucky then, for the nation’s men, that the very high temperatures are due to drop this week, across the UK, into the cooler twenties again.

The national poll of 2,000 people by insights and research agency Perspectus Global found that nearly half (46 per cent) of both sexes agreed there could be exceptions to the rule – for example, if someone is in peak physical condition (file pic)