THE NSGenius system, developed by Durham IT Consultants Waterstons for the National Salvage Group, has won the international Insurance Times Award for Technology Initiative of the Year.

The prize is awarded to the company that has used new technology in the most imaginative way to improve the service to its customers.

The NSGenuis system uses the Internet in a variety of innovative ways.

It links up NSG's network of vehicle salvage agents and the insurance companies, giving access to the police, via their website, to check the vehicles to find illegal "ringers", as well as enabling engineers to examine damaged vehicles, using digital images.