You know the new M&S unbreakable brolly it's not

THE last thing anyone needs in this current spell of blustery and unsettled weather is an umbrella that gives up the ghost at the slightest puff of wind.

Brolly makers are forever wrestling with the question of how to design the ultimate lightweight and sturdy folding umbrella- and Marks & Spencer is the latest to take up the challenge.

The high street giant boasts that its new design is the most durable and windproof on the market, using "flexi-rib technology, fibre-reinforced plastic spokes" and "ergonomically designed handles". If that's not enough, M&S says a state-of-the-art wind tunnel was used to test the brolly, which can withstand 11kg of wind pressure.

But, as our pictures show, the Flexi-rib Umbrella - as it is known - didn't last 10 minutes on the Millennium Bridge in central London. With the first gust of wind, the umbrella's canopy

immediately turned inside out and stayed that way - even though it is designed to snap back into shape.

As the winds reached speeds of up to 33mph, it became more of a struggle to keep the umbrella from flying off over the Thames although that was probably being a little unfair.

While the special handle did seem to provide extra grip, the umbrella shaft bent from the pressure of the wind and, after 10 minutes of manually trying to turn back the canopy each time it blew inside out, the spokes snapped and the "automatic open/close function" failed.

An M&S spokesman said that, despite its revolutionary design, the umbrella did have limits, adding: "We have tried to develop a more sturdy umbrella. We are not saying we have the best umbrella but we believe we have developed a more durable umbrella. No umbrella survives gale force winds."

The new "Flexi-rib Umbrella" costs pounds 15 - about pounds 5 more expensive than most folding umbrellas on the market.

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