Disposable undergarment having a break-away panel

A disposable undergarment comprising a chassis having a front portion, a rear portion, and a crotch portion joining said front portion and said rear portion, said chassis comprising substantially throughout the front portion, rear portion and crotch portion a material which is suitable to be used in a disposable garment without tearing when subjected to the stresses of wear, said front portion and said rear portion being secured so as to form a waist opening and two leg openings, said leg openings being separated by said crotch portion;

• and at least one breakaway panel which comprises one or more strips of manually tearable material uninterruptedly extending from one said leg opening to said waist opening, so as to provide a zone in which the garment can be torn apart for easier removal from the user, said breakaway panel being joined to said chassis at a first seam and a second seam, the tensile strength of said breakaway panel being less than the tensile strength of said first seam and less than the tensile strength of said second seam.