New bra has a built-in gun holster

An American inventor has produced a bra with a built-in gun holster.

The underwear is designed to hold a .38 calibre snub-nose revolver and pepper spray.

The £30 dollar (£20.90) bra is the brainchild of Beverly Hills security consultant Paxton Quigley.

"Women like the idea of comfort and its ease of access," she said.

Many states in America allow people to carry "concealed" handguns as protection, although Miss Quigley's device is probably the first to use women's underwear as a holster.

"If a woman is attacked, the purse is the first thing taken from her," she said. "A good place to conceal a weapon is in the chest area."

Described as "equal parts Victoria's Secret and Guns & Ammo magazine", in reference to the American lingerie chain and top-selling firearms magazine, the bra is available in utilitarian black or white.

It is strictly functional though - no lace, no underwiring and the only choice other than size is whether women fire with their left or right hands.

Designed to hold a gun on one side and a pepper spray on the other, its dual-capability makes it legal virtually everywhere in America, where pepper spray can be carried by civilians as well as police.

Miss Quigley, who has written two books on gun safety and self-defence for women and trained actress Geena Davis for her role in the film Thelma and Louise, has dubbed her invention the SuperBra.