A survey conducted by getlippy.com has revealed that 95 per cent of young British women are not getting their fair share of kisses.

So last Wednesday National Kissing Day I single handedly attempted to rectify the situation by giving the ladies of Croydon exactly what they wanted: an opportunity to indulge in some lip-lock.

Who better than my good self to venture into the town centre and attempt to get as many women to kiss me as possible?

You would think ladies would be queuing up to have a quick kiss with a young, eligible man but needless to say I fell flat on my face.

Men are always told be yourself when approaching and talking to women.

Instead I tried a more suave and debonair approach, which went down like a lead balloon.

I've done my fair share of public polls in my time but they do not teach you how to stop women and ask for a kiss at journalism college.

Maybe it was time to adopt an alternative approach?

My mum has always told me honesty is the best policy, so I decided to give it a go, and it worked a treat.

After explaining it was National Kissing Day and asking whether I could have a peck on the cheek to mark the occasion, I received no rejections.

So if any red-blooded men are hitting the town this weekend in search of a bit of lip action, honesty is definitely the way forward. Trust me, I am Croydon's most eligible bachelor.

Kate Creasey, editor of getlippy.com, said: "It seems that the old British reserve has caught up with us once again when it comes to kissing, even among the younger generation. While we have the will and the way, Brits clearly aren't locking lips as much as we'd like to.

"We should definitely take a leaf out of our European cousins' book and learn to show our affection more openly by puckering up more often not just for National Kissing Day."