The experience of surviving a bicycle accident has prompted a Jewish inventor to design protective headgear that folds in half.

After his accident, Jeffrey Woolf, who received an OBE for services to innovation and business, was shocked to discover that a high percentage of cyclists do not wear one because they find them too cumbersome to carry.

The 54-year-old hopes his patented fold-up helmet, which goes on sale next spring, will encourage more adults and children to wear them.

He said: “I would have never survived without my helmet.”