I never knew this! A South Shields police officer invented a device which saved countless lives

Constable Stamp of the South Shields Police Force had an idea for a lifebelt which was so powerful, it could float six people at one time.

The lifebelt which was created in South Shields

It was so effective that local authorities took it on and adopted it for use on local beaches.

Constable Stamp even took time to demonstrate how effective it was, as this nostalgic photo from May 1931 shows.

It comes to us courtesy of the wonderful archives of Getty Images and we are indebted to them for it.

Raising the alarm on South Shields beach

The ingenious life saving device could be inflated under water by a small pump, which mixes water with carbide inside the belt.

Once inflated, it automatically brought rescuer and rescued to surface. The belt weighed only a few ounces.

South Tyneside authorities constructed a box on the beach at South Shields so the device could be stored.

When there was an emergency, the alarm was given by opening a door which caused a flag to shoot up.

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