JUST when you thought there was little else to invent in the world, scores of boffins in the south have proved there is plenty of homebred ingenuity out there.

Some of these amazing ideas will undoubtedly find favour with busy mums, pensioners, gum-chewers, smokers, divers, gardeners and sweaty athletes.

One of the showcase inventions may also help in the Third World, where disease and starvation blight millions of lives.

Many of the life-improving products, which are all seeking financial backing to get off the ground, were given a public airing yesterday in Hampshire.

For the home, there's a toy duck that quacks angrily if the bath water is too hot, or a small moisture-sensing device - handy if you need to bring in the washing from the line as it starts to rain.

OAPs could benefit from a folding exercise chair with elastic resistant bands and, for severe arthritis sufferers, playing cards have been reshaped so they can be picked up easily.

For security-conscious people living in bungalows, but who want their windows opened at night in warm weather, removable window bars are an option.

Clearing up unsightly chewing gum from pavements is a costly burden for local councils, but now an answer is at hand.

Paul Bone, from Newport on the Isle of Wight, has come up with the personal, disposable Gum Bin. It has two containers. One for your packet of chewing gum, the other for the used gum!

Smokers, responsible for one-third of Britain's litter, could make use of the so-called frisbee-styled Flying Ashtray, which allows them to stub out and store their cigarettes while outdoors. Michael Wright, from Bramshott in Hampshire, surfaced with his two-way communication device for snorkellers, so they can keep in contact if they drift apart.

Nigel Evans, from Hedge End, near Southampton, has come up with a plastic post socket that stops wooden posts rotting below ground level.

And there's even talking labels so the blind can identify food and cleaning items, while one device strikes a topical note with Wimbledon in full swing. An air-conditioning unit picks up on information sensors placed on athletes and cools the air if they get too hot.

Another invention likely to meet with commercial success is weight-saving, self-rehydrating bags for disaster relief.

These food, medicine and drink powder rations can be safely rehydrated with even dirty water.

Enterprise minister Nigel Griffiths said: "From the invention of penicillin to the clockwork radio, British invention has found its way into homes and lives across the world."

The 2004 Innovention exhibition, backed by key sponsor business Link Wessex and organised by the South East Hampshire Enterprise Agency, took place at INTECH, the hands-on technology centre at Winchester.

Winners and runners-up shared in £30,000 worth of cash and services.

The winning entry in the individual category came from Patricia and Kenneth Steele, from Basingstoke, who invented a panel duvet, which can be taken apart and home-washed.

In the business category the winner was Philip Monro, of Hampshire Advisory and Technical Services, for the self-rehydrating nourishment bags.