A MAN from the North-East believes the Internet could help alleviate the effects of famine and disaster.

Ken Craggs, 43, has come up with the idea of a charity search engine that would raise money for good causes instead of providing companies with profits.

Mr Craggs, an unemployed horticulture lecturer, said the success of search engines such as Google could be harnessed for humanitarian aid.

Mr Craggs, of Battlefield, Newcastle, has sent his idea to the new media team at Comic Relief.

He said: "Having recently watched the news concerning the success of the search engine Google, and how it has achieved a position of prominence on the Internet in only eight years, I couldn't help thinking that a charity-orientated search engine would be a good idea.

"This belief was starkly emphasised by a news report on television, which stated that 7,000 people per day are dying throughout the world because of poverty, disease and starvation.''

Mr Craggs said businesses that advertised on the search engine would also get an image boost.

He said that, after initial start-up costs, which could attract donations, the search engine would pay for itself and could help fund charities tackling major problems around the world.