BATTERY manufacturer Rayovac is hoping to boost its global sales by developing a device to help people with severe hearing problems.

The firm, based in Washington, Wearside, has produced a longer-lasting hearing aid battery that improves the performance of specialist hearing devices.

Rayovac - the world's leading manufacturer of hearing aid batteries - has tailored the new product to meet the needs of people with cochlear implants, a device worn by the profoundly deaf and hard of hearing.

The battery contains a series of technical improvements that maximises the power available to the hearing aid device for a longer period of time, improving the performance and quality of sound available to the user.

Developed and produced at Rayovac's base on the town's Stephenson Industrial Estate, which employs more than 130 people and produces more than 200 million batteries every year, the product will be sold worldwide later this year.

Vince Armitage, sales director at Rayovac, said: "We have a proud record of innovation and product enhancement at Washington, and our new battery is a major step forward in hearing aid technology and performance.

"Considerable time has been devoted to working with device manufacturers, healthcare professionals and hearing-aid users to create a product that matches the needs of users and will improve their quality of life."