A FLEET of drones fitted with cameras will patrol shorelines to find deadly sharks and alert beach-goers.

Over 50 beaches in Australia will use the technology as the New South Wales government announced it would expand the surveillance system along the 1,300-mile coast.

Drones beam their footage to experts on land looking for predators lurking beneath the surface of the water.

And the system also uses 21 satellite-linked "listening" stations which trigger beach alarms and send instant phone alerts when large sharks are detected near the shore.

It does this by using radio transmitters previously fitted to some of the biggest man-eaters in the area.

And authorities are hoping to upgrade the futuristic warning system with bigger drones using artificial intelligence to instantly spot dangerous sharks.

The drones — which can cost up to £12,000 a pop — will use "SharkSpotter" software developed by the University of Technology Sydney which digitally combs the waves.

It picks up sharks by identifying their speed, colour, texture, swimming patterns and shape.

And once it spots one, the drone can send an alert to lifeguards on the beach and even carry inflatables to swimmers in danger.

Authorities are ramping up the security measures in a bid to reduce Australia's number of deadly shark attacks.

Over the last 50 years, Australia has had 73 of the world's 439 recorded fatal attacks — the largest proportion of the total from any single country.

Just last month, Dan Christidis died after being mauled by a shark during a yachting trip in the popular Whitsunday Islands.

His death came just weeks after a 12-year-old girl lost her right leg in an attack in the same area, which itself was just a day after a mum-of-two was bitten on her left thigh.

Out of nearly 500 species of shark, only three are responsible for ten or more fatal unprovoked attacks: tiger, bull and great white.

All three species are known to swim in Australian waters.