Exclusive: Segway charity hero Jimi Heselden had assets worth an estimated £290m

YORKSHIRE entrepreneur and philanthropist Jimi Heselden had assets worth an estimated £290m, probate registry documents have revealed.

The estimate of the late 62-year-old's wealth is contained in court documents which this week granted permission to two people to administer his estate while accountants sort out his financial affairs.

Details of his will and the actual value of his estate are not expected to be known for some months.

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Mr Heselden, of Thorp Arch, Wetherby, died on September 26, near his home when he plunged around 40ft over a cliff while riding a Segway upright electric scooter, made by his own company, along a riverside path.

A Segway, believed to be an off-road version of the scooter, was found nearby.

The former miner made his fortune after inventing a system of wire cage walls which are used to protect troops from bombs, as well as for flood protection.

They can be put up quicker and easier than the traditional method of using sandbags.

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The Concertainer invention is now used by the military across the world and made him one of Britain's richest men. A previous estimate of his wealth had put it at 166m.

Mr Heselden became known for his philanthropy, giving away millions to charities, including Help for Heroes and the Leeds Community Foundation, which he gave 23m.

Last year he led a British team which bought the US-based Segway firm, which makes and distributes the distinctive two-wheeled, self-balancing scooters.

More than 1,000 people attended his funeral on Monday at his Hesco Bastion factory in Cross Green, Leeds.

He left a wife, Julie, four children and a stepdaughter.

An investigation into his death is ongoing but police have ruled out any suspicious circumstances.