SOGGY children arriving dripping wet for lessons could be a thing of the past after a North Yorkshire firm launched the world's first waterproof school blazer.

It has been created by School Colours, of Knaresborough.

The firm's director Mark Southcott, who lives in Richmond, got the idea after watching schoolchildren walk to classes without a coat.

He said: "I've also talked to headteachers who say they just can't get children to wear a coat.

"The children walk into classes with a wet blazer and they sit at their desks steaming away."

The blazer is the result of a year's development. The garment, which will cost about £38, looks like a traditional school blazer with a woven polyester fabric on the outside, but inside has a waterproof and breathable membrane.

The firm will be selling the waterproof blazer direct to schools and will be writing to them soon. Supplies will be ready for March or April next year.