A PAIR of saucy knickers bought for actress Mina Anwar's television character PC Maggie Habib were part of a farcical comedy plot in BBC TV's cop series The Thin Blue Line.

But now the East Lancashire actress has launched her own company - selling underwear with a serious social message.

Mina, 28, brought up in Accrington but now living in London, struck on the idea of underwear which could help its wearers become more sexually responsible.

Her company, Globally Aware, is marketing underwear with pockets sewn into the fabric so that people can carry condoms inside their smalls. She came up with the idea while she was travelling and came face-to-face with the grim reality of Aids, HIV and its effects throughout the world.

Mina said: "The pocketed underwear is all about encouraging people to be more responsible when it comes to sex. I have done a lot of travelling and found out about the impact that sexually-transmitted diseases have on people throughout the world. There are more than 33million people in the world with Aids.

"We are launching the underwear on May Day and hope to sell it not just in this country, but in America, Australia, Europe and the Far East."

Mina is currently recording soul and pop songs at studios in Oswaldtwistle and London. She is also set to appear at the televised Ethnic Minority Media Awards in the capital later this year.

She said another series of The Thin Blue Line may be filmed next year, although she and the rest of the cast are waiting for a decision by television bosses.

For more details on Globally Aware underwear, visit the company's internet site at www.globallyaware.com

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