A REVOLUTIONARY road surface developed by three friends could be the solution to the UK's chronic pothole problems.

Plasmac is an asphalt that uses waste plastic instead of bitumen.

It was developed by Toby McCartney, 38, a former pupil of Lime House School at Dalston near Carlisle who now lives at Eaglesfield in Dumfries and Galloway, working with friends Nick Burnett, 39, and Gordon Reid, 37, who also live in the Eaglesfield area.

Their business, MacRebur, only became a limited company last month although the idea for their product was formed in February 2015.

Since then Plasmac has been tested and found to far exceed the relevant British standard.

Now MacRebur is in the running for Richard Branson’s Virgin Voom where the team could end up pitching their idea to win business support from the entrepreneur and, eventually, the Government.

Mr McCartney said: ”When Plasmac was tested it was found to be 60 per cent stronger than ordinary Tarmac. It is also less likely to pothole or rut and has a much longer lifespan.

"So not only is it green but it’s going to save councils and the Government money which can then be spent elsewhere on something better. The annual transport budget is £29bn.

“The idea came from a chat in the pub. I’d been working with a charity in India and had seen children collecting plastic from landfill sites to sell for recycling. We were talking about that when we came up with the idea for the road surface.

"Gordon is a construction engineer and he was saying how they recycle rubber tyres to use on roads. We just wondered whether it was possible to use plastic."

The company's plan is to have a licensed product rather than making and selling the asphalt. There is a pending patent.

Meanwhile, Macrebur is appealing for local support for their idea and needs as many public votes in Virgin Voom as possible by May 23 to get to the next stage of the contest, a so-called 'pitchathon' in London.

More than 7,000 companies have entered and Macrebur was sitting at number 11 earlier this week.

Mr McCartney added: "Our product could be a game changer for the durability of roads not just in Cumbria, but across the UK. We think Richard Branson will love it if he gets the chance to hear about it."

Mr McCartney, who also runs a neuro-linguistic programming consultancy with his wife Kate, retains strong links with Carlisle where his two daughters attend Austin Friars School.

To view the pitch and vote for Macrebur, go to www.vmbvoom.com/pitches/innovative-plastic-roads