Janet Bailey was so fed up with searching for a big enough bra, she opened up her own shop.

RUMMAGE around any woman's underwear drawer and it's more than likely you'll discover a myriad of different-sized bras.

Most of us vaguely know our size but if we find a bra we like we might go up or down a cup, figuring it doesn't make that much difference.

It's no wonder that surveys consistently tell us that more than 85 per cent of us are wearing the wrong sized bra.

But for bigger busted women buying in the right size is often not an option.

With many lingerie shops only stocking up to a DD cup, it's more a case of being grateful for finding anything that fits at all, let alone a bra that offers support and doesn't dig into your shoulders.

Blackburn woman Janet Bailey was so fed up with hunting to find a decent bra to fit her she opened her own shop.

"I've always been passionate about nice underwear," said Janet, who owns Eve For You Lingerie in Fleming Square, Blackburn.

"But being a 36HH, most shops either didn't stock anything in my size, or what they did stock were monsters - the sort of bra that would make you want to get undressed in the dark.

"Many a time I have been turned away from lingerie shops. One lady actually came up to me and whispered as I came through the door 'I'm sorry darling but we don't do your size.' "That's upsetting and insulting - it's like a lot of shops don't even want bigger busted, curvy ladies coming through the door."

Undefeated, Janet took matters into her own hands and opened up Eve For You Lingerie.

"I was left some money and decided to spend it on something that I've always been passionate about," she said.

"I researched my market for two years, trained with Rigby and Peller in London and also did training courses in post-surgery, prosthesis and mastectomy fitting before I opened the shop nine months ago.

"I stock from an AA to an M cup and from 28in to 52in back size. I don't actually use a tape measure, I fit by eye. I've got a reputation for being able to say what size a lady is as soon as she walks in.

"Only once have I not been able to fit a woman - she was an R cup. I had to phone Rigby and Peller to arrange for them to make a special bra for her. I would feel like a failure if I had to turn a customer away because her bust was too big."

Wearing the wrong bra size doesn't just affect the way our clothes hang, but also can impact on our health, said Janet.

"I've had two of the lower discs in my back removed and, while the doctor said it wasn't exclusively caused by the back pain of wearing the wrong bra, I'm sure it contributed.

"With the right bra everything's lifted and your tissue is correctly supported. I'd say 90 per cent of the women who come into my shop have been wearing the wrong size.

"Most people make the same mistake: they wear a too big back size to compensate for wearing a too-small cup, but instead of offering the right support that creates a hammock effect.

"Wearing the right size bra instantly makes you stand up taller, giving you a better posture. It reduces any back and shoulder pain you might have been experiencing and you look thinner because the bust that has been hanging around your waist is suddenly in the right place and you can see your shape. Whenever I fit someone I tell them to put the top they came in back on and see the difference. They're usually amazed to find they've lost half a stone stone and now have a waist.

"Bigger bras do tend to cost more. At the supermarket you can buy a bra for £15 while in my shop you might pay £35 for one in a bigger size, but that's because there's a lot of engineering that goes into them - there's up to 40 compartments in a good bra which supports the tissue, lifts and separates the breasts.

"When I take my bra off in the evening I'm sure it shows on the Richter Scale - and that's the sort of support you should be getting."

Janet is passionate about her work and is keen to transform Blackburn, getting every woman in the right sized bra.

"Opening the shop is the best thing I ever did," she said.

"The women of Blackburn have been fantastic and I've built up a great relationship with my customers. Every day I love coming into work and most nights, before I taurn the lights off, I have to pinch myself that its mine. I love it."

l Janet was helped by a No Limits government grant. For information about how it could help you call 0800 6122029 or visit www.no-limits.org.uk