A NEW light-weight soccer rattle is set to kick the World Cup off to a rousing start, its Banbury maker claims.

The collapsible rattle is predicted to create a deafening storm during England matches in France this summer.

The old wooden rattle was banned in the 1970s after hooligans started throwing them.

But the new light-weight versions are much friendlier. Richard Walsh, managing director of Promould in Banbury, Oxfordshire, is running his factory night and day with 20 staff to meet a £2m order from the Millennium Advance Group, which holds the worldwide rights for rattles and other football accessories.

He said: "They are expected to be a top seller. They are really noisy, outrageously so actually."

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