Expandable shoes for children aim to cut landfill waste

Eco-shoe brand gets 250,000 grant from sustainability fund to perfect design - with soles the trickiest part

It's the Dragons' Den pitch parents have been dreaming about: an expandable children's shoe that fits long enough to be worn out, and it could soon be a high-street reality.

The average young child needs new shoes every four months, a rapid and costly replacement cycle that sees Britons buy 80m pairs a year, most of which end up in landfill.