UK firm Wood & Douglas, which specialises in wireless broadcast technology, has developed an application that allows rescue dogs to relay real-time video and audio back to their handlers.

It is called Paws, an acronym for portable, all-terrain, wireless system.

Grant Notman demonstrated how the product works at a mock disaster scene at the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Practice Centre, in Fort Widley, near Portsmouth.

The equipment is designed for rapid deployment, and the firm anticipates it will be useful for the fire and police services, as well as the military.

It could be used, for example, for rescues after an avalanche, for drug raids, or for finding a fugitive.

The product's wireless broadcast system can be security encrypted, and it allows two-way communication between victim and rescuer.