It was enough to make Tony Legge, pictured, cry.

Tony Legge in full cry

The Abingdon town crier's wrinkly white stockings looked like Nora Batty's cast offs.

Having failed to find anything suitable Mr Legge stumbled across mary@theleggery.co.uk -- a Sheffield company -- on the Internet.

Owner, Mary Allen, contacted one of her suppliers -- a Belgian company called Cette -- which came up with the special opaque hosiery. Mrs Allen said: "One of our biggest selling lines is support hosiery and I thought one of our suppliers would have the answer. We have helped maintain the dignity of an excellent British traditional official position and we look forward to hearing the cries of other town criers."

Mr Legge from Oxford Road, Abingdon, said: "It's a problem to find stockings that will fit

legs like mine. I was desperate for a new pair of stockings. I was at a town criers festival earlier this year and looked right out of place with my tatty old stockings. Something had to be done."