A hi-tech firm is blazing a trail to identify dangerously high levels of lead in toys.

Oxford Instruments has developed a special sensor which can pinpoint exact levels of the dangerous metal in paint and other materials.

The move follows the UK recall of thousands of toys such as Barbie dolls manufactured on behalf of Mattel in China in August due to fears over unacceptably high levels of lead.

Jonathan Flint, chief executive of Oxford Instruments, said: "We can put a toy under a scanner and tell the exact amount of lead is present.

"We are talking to toy manufacturers with a view to carrying out screening more thoroughly and it could be a very interesting area for us."

Mr Flint added that although he could not reveal which manufacturers the company was working with, they were "major importers and high street names."

The news came as the company, based at Tubney Woods, near Abingdon, unveiled a positive set of financial figures for the six months to September 30.

Pre-tax profit grew to £1.8m from £1.7m for the same period last year while sales rose nine per cent to £78.3m.

The results mark the end of the first year of Mr Flint's five-year plan to transform the business and double its turnover following a period that has seen hundreds of jobs axed and the company shrink as it carries out major restructuring.

The firm, which now employs 350 staff in Oxfordshire, has moved away from its previous core business of manufacturing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems used in hospitals to new areas, manufacturing specialised products for the nanotechnology and biotech markets.

Mr Flint added: "We are still on target - we have recruited 24 people in the last year and will take on more next year. It is a very positive picture."