Double broom an inspiring invention
Sam Houghton's broom idea is among the UK's top 15 inventions, according to the British Library
A Wallace & Gromit-style idea patented by a five-year-old is among the UK's top 15 "ingenious" inventions of the last decade, according to the British Library.
Schoolboy Sam Houghton came up with his idea - a double-headed broom - at the age of three while watching his father sweep up garden leaves.
Experts have now termed the product, which was designed to collect large debris and fine dust simultaneously, one of the "most inspiring" inventions of the last 10 years.
The product forms part of an exhibition which opens on Sunday at The British Library.
Steve van Dulken, Patent Expert and Curator of Inventing the 21st Century, said he had been particularly impressed by the youngster's "neat solution" to a problem.
"I think it is a tremendously inspiring invention," he said.
"I was willing to lie down in a ditch to defend it - I was adamant that it would be in there.
"The fact that someone less than four-years-old could come up with such a neat solution is very impressive."
Sam, from Buxton, Derbyshire, hit upon his idea while watching his father swap between two brushes as he tried to clear up larger leaves and twigs as well as finer debris.
Using a large rubber band to strap the two brooms together, he created the "Improved Broom" which could be flipped around for different jobs.
Press Association
