TENNIS superstar Sir Andy Murray has invested in a Cumbrian startup dedicated to a revolutionary new road surface.

The world number one and reigning Wimbledon champion has put his money into MacRebur, which has its head office in Kingstown, Carlisle.

This investment was part of a crowdfunding campaign which raised almost £1.3m for the company.

MacRebur has produced an asphalt made with recycled material rather than bitumen, known as MR6.

It has contracts with nine local authorities in the UK - including Cumbria County Council and made the A6 near Calthwaite the first public road to use the material - and is now seeking to expand into Europe and further afield. It ran the crowdfunding drive through the platform Seedrs in a bid to raise £590,000 in 60 days but managed to achieve double this in just 10, giving away 15 per cent of the company in shares.

The company was set up by Toby McCartney, a former pupil of Lime House School at Dalston, near Carlisle, who now lives at Eaglesfield, just across the border in Dumfries and Galloway.

He runs the business with friends Nick Burnett and Gordon Reid, who also live in the Eaglesfield area.

Last year the firm secured a £1m investment from Sir Richard Branson.

Mr McCartney said: "I got a call and it was Andy Murray - we were delighted that he wanted to invest in us. He told us he would like to drive on our roads."

He also said Sir Andy had asked Macrebur to lay the road at his hotel near his hometown of Dunblane.

Mr McCartney explained: "We want to be in Europe before Brexit really kicks off so we needed to raise money."

The amount of cash which has been raised will allow the company to look at expansion into Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Sir Andy said: “I’m continuing to grow my portfolio through Seedrs and have tried to choose companies that I inspire me from as many different sectors as possible. I was interested in MacRebur because I am really impressed by their ambition to make a massive economic and environmental difference to road construction worldwide."