And one in three has considered avoiding a beach holiday altogether because of how they look in their swimming trunks.

Seven in 10 men surveyed were worried about baring their body, with 47% most concerned about revealing their stomachs.

Three-quarters of those questioned thought British men get just as nervous as women do when it comes to slipping on the swimwear.

The men deploy a number of tactics to cover up in the heat, with nearly a quarter wearing shorts or a T-shirt even in the sea, 40% dieting and around a third stripping off only when in the water.

And more than three-quarters of men were jealous of toned, athletic men they spotted on the beach.

A third said they were most worried about how they look to the opposite sex, compared with just 13% who worried about what other men would think.

"Every summer we hear plenty about women dreading having to wear a swimsuit but men clearly have many of the same issues," said Catherine Ambrozewicz, head of Tescodiets.com which carried out the research.

More than 2,000 men were questioned for the survey.