More than 50 lightweight baby incubators, partly funded by Jersey Overseas Aid (JOA), are being sent to Ukraine after a rise in the number of premature births in the war-torn country.

Developed by British start-up company mOm, the incubators weigh only 44lbs (20kg) compared to traditional incubators which could weigh up to 220lbs (100kg), project leaders said.

They could also be used immediately by clinicians, without lengthy set-up or training times, they added.

Fifty-one incubators were going to hospitals across the country, with the first tranche being delivered on Tuesday, JOA said.

The equipment is being overseen by international development not-for-profit organisation Crown Agents.

It said the units could run off “multiple power sources, with a back-up battery, which will be vital as Ukraine continues to face power outages”.

It said it had heard reports that the stress of the war was “having a negative effect on pregnant women with doctors seeing a sharp rise in premature births”.

It added: “Incubators are vital for saving the lives of these premature babies, ensuring they remain at a safe, stable temperature.”

Douglas Melville, of JOA, said the “robust and easy-to-use incubators will undoubtedly save innocent lives”.

In March, prenatal clinics in both Kharkiv and Lviv told the BBC that the rate of preterm births had doubled or tripled, as a result of stress and medical issues linked to the war.