A new idea to save restaurants hundreds of pounds is being pioneered by a Malvern company.

Wordsworth International, of Christchurch Road, estimates the average eaterie inadvertently throws away £800 worth of cutlery every year.

So it has decided to market a brand new gadget to solve the problem, a bin-top cutlery detector.

The device sits on top of a regular 120-litre bin, and has a rotating detection plate on to which all leftovers are deposited.

If an item of cutlery is among them, a buzzer or light is activated and the device will block the bin until it has been removed.

The only one of its kind on the market, the Dutch company which manufactures the MT2001 Cutlery Detector claims it can tell the difference between a spoon and a yoghurt top.