Foxy lady drivers are fuelling a new breed of professional female van driver, an insurer claims.

Swinton says a rise in applications for cover from women in the creative industries has spawned the "white vin woman" to rival the traditional white van man.

The company says more and more women are taking out policies for commercial vehicles and listing occupations like interior designer and gourmet caterer.

A Swinton spokesman said: "A new generation of entrepreneurs are shunning nine to five jobs and going into business for themselves."

The firm also said more expensive vans like the Mercedes Vito and VW Transporter Sportline are the mode of transport for the "white vin woman".

Of these types of applications, 35 per cent come from female van owners seeking insurance.

Swinton also said the same types of occupation were being listed by male drivers of more expensive vans, in turn becoming "white vin men".

The new breed are a far cry from the original white van man, traditionally seen as being a male plasterer, plumber or builder.

The original white van man breed became such a phenomenon after the phrase was coined in 1997 that a report was written by the Social Issues Research Centre.

Find out where foxy lady drivers shop for the best insurance deals for women.

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