IT IS a cause that has been trumpeted around the globe by the Princess of Wales and soccer star David Ginola.

And now, a revolutionary land mine detector invented in Hampshire has scooped a prestigious business award.

Romsey inventor Chris Richardson says the detector, which requires no batteries, could halve the rate of mine casualties if it were mass produced.

SPLICE - Self Powered Locator and Identifier for Concealed Equipment - generates its own power from movement as it is swept over the ground.

When it detects a mine, an audible signal is sounded.

The low-maintenance device can be used with little training, making it ideal for local communities living on mine-infested former battlegrounds.

Every 20 minutes someone somewhere is killed or maimed by a landmine. A hundred million mines are believed to be lurking under the earth in Angola, Cambodia, Somalia and other scenes of past conflict.

Only 100,000 are cleared a year, partly because of the high cost of running clearance equipment and training operators.

SPLICE was developed by Roke Manor Research, of Romsey, which yesterday picked up the Worldaware Award for Innovation at a presentation ceremony at the Royal Institution in London.

The Worldaware Business Awards are given out each year to companies and non-governmental organisations which have contributed most to economic growth, employment, and community development in Third World countries.

Explaining how SPLICE was created, Mr Richardson said: "We wanted to devise a cheap machine that could be issued to everyone in a village. I am convinced that this simple device, if mass-produced, could halve the rate of mine casualties."

Roke Manor is now negotiating with two companies interested in manufacturing the mine detector.

It is also looking at adapting the technology to other uses, such as the detection of small pieces of metal lodged in people's eyes.