A 17-year-old computer gamer says he's looking to insure his fingers for £375,000.

Alex Nikitin from London is due to take part in this week's World Cyber Games in Korea after coming second in the UK heats.

With the world's top gamers allegedly earning as much as £200,000 a year, Alex reckons he needs to insure his digits.

Said Alex in a statement: "Qualifying for the World Cyber Games has led me to investigate ways to protect my key assets - my fingers. Online games like Quake and Starcraft are being played faster than ever before, thanks to broadband internet access, powerful PCs and hours of dedicated practice.

"That's great news for competitive gamers like myself, but also increases the chances of stress and injury to my fingers and they are the most essential tools of the trade," he said.

He's also secured sponsored from blueyonder, the Internet arm of cable company Telewest Broadband. ®