If you've got a problem - and no-one else can help - maybe you should call - a ten-year-old robot designer.

Earls Colne pupil Stuart Gardener has scooped second place out of thousands of entries in the Blue Peter robot design competition.

His plans for the handy device not only stunned the judges but have also helped him win a robotics invention kit and an artist's paintbox.

Inspiration for the "gutter scatter mouse" came from Stuart's Dad.

Stuart, who lives in Earls Colne, said: "My dad used to talk about the difficulties of clearing gutters. I thought maybe it would be useful to design something that could do the job."

It took Stuart three days to design the robot - and he's very glad he did.

And with the prizes he's won, who knows what he will come up with next?

ore than 32,000 children sent in their designs and they were judged by the Open University Centre for Design and Innovation.

Stuart was a runner-up in the eights, nines and tens category with his description and drawings for a Gutter Scutter Mouse to clean gutters.

The overall winners will see their designs turned into working robots and get a trip to the RoboFesta in Japan.

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