Goggle jackets give the wearer complete anonymity by obscuring all of their face with material, leaving just small plastic discs to see through.

They threaten to make the police's job more difficult, but they're completely legal, and now they're set to swamp the high street.

The jackets even come packed in a plastic bag featuring a yob hurling a missile.

The £70-plus jackets are on sale at Arrival menswear in King Street, South Shields, and bosses there say they're struggling to cope with demand.

This is the first example of the jacket hitting the high street, although similar jackets, costing about £600, have been sold by Armani and Stone Island.

Store boss Marc Chapman said: "They're fantastic, they're cheap, and they're selling really well.

"They look really unusual but lock in plenty of warmth in the winter.

"Obviously, the concern at first was that they might not be legal because they completely obscure someone's identity, but we were told they were totally fine. The goggle eyes are removable too."

Shop assistant Joanne Fraser, who modelled one of the jackets for the Gazette, expects them to be one of this Christmas's most popular presents.

She said: "They're really fashionable, and the only way people have been able to get their hands on them in the past is by paying hundreds of pounds for designer versions.

"These look just as good and they're only a fraction of the price, at either £70 or £80 each."

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: "A simple hat, scarf and glasses combination could obscure someone's identity when they're walking down the street, so there are no powers to stop people wearing these jackets."

The jackets are on display in the store's window, and passer-by Daniel Mills, 21, of Whitburn, said: "They look amazing. They're really eye-catching."

But Bob Harrison, 62, of Sunderland Road, South Shields, said: "I'd be pretty intimidated if I bumped into a gang of lads wearing them."