No doubt they would have preferred a T-shirt or maybe a few photographs to remind them of the good times at this year's Glastonbury Festival.

But dozens of revellers have been left with a more painful souvenir of the rain-sodden event - a dose of trench foot, or "glas-toe" as the victims have dubbed it.

Chatboards on festival websites usually full of gossip about music and forthcoming gigs have been hosting debates of a more medical nature as festivalgoers have realised their toes were not just throbbing because of all the dancing they did.

The condition, suffered by first world war soldiers, is caused by the feet being immersed in often dirty water for long stretches. Symptoms include numbness in the toes, blistered skin and, in the most severe cases, gangrene. However, the festivalgoers appear to have suffered relatively minor symptoms.

Laura Kavanagh, 23, from Somerset, was diagnosed with mild trench foot by her GP. She said: "I couldn't believe it. I remember learning about that in history lessons. I have been put on antibiotics and it seems to be clearing up." Ms Kavanagh lost her tent and clothes in floods which hit the festival site in Somerset. But despite that - and her brush with trench foot - she insisted: "I would do it again in a second."

Another reveller told a chatroom on www.efestivals.com: "I only had sandals on and I was walking through water filled with poo and rubbish. I have now got a hideous rash all over my left foot. Will I have to have it amputated?"

A third added: "I'm now developing a paranoid fear I've got trench foot - thanks a lot! Surely it's just that my toes are a bit numb and tingly from being squashed up for days? Please don't tell me I have to see a doctor!"

The glas-toe outbreak also prompted discussions about ideal festival footwear. Many claimed that wellies had to be the way but others pointed out that the waters at Glastonbury were higher than the tops of welly boots. Some claimed they had escaped the condition by opting for leather hiking boots. One or two argued that it was best to wear sandals and keep drying the feet when higher ground was reached.

A spokesman for Glastonbury festival said: "Unfortunately if you come to Glastonbury, you have to expect rain. Those with infections have usually got them because they haven't worn sensible footwear."