An inventor who two years ago was so hard up his four children were on free school meals is now well on the road to becoming a multi-millionaire.

Steve Morris, 40, who has developed a novel 3-D jigsaw, became a paper millionaire this week after his company, Jigo Limited, was valued at £5 million. He has just clinched a £3 million export deal with an American customer and a £5 million deal with a European company - and is now set to conquer the world with his revolutionary playsets.

Mr Morris lives in a former council semi in Buttle Lane, Snaith, near Selby, with his wife Helen, 41, and four children, Rebecca, 14, David, 11, Chris, eight, and Poppy, six.

In 1997 he was made redundant from his job as a food technologist, leaving the family living on £94-a-week state handouts.

They were so hard up, all four children were given free school meals and Poppy was also on free milk tokens. They even barbecued rabbits which a neighbour had shot because they couldn't afford a decent joint of meat. Now the wheel of fortune has turned full circle, and Mr Morris is set to make mega-bucks by literally going to pieces.

His playsets, which are aimed at three to 11-year-olds, build up into the world's largest jigsaw puzzle - a kind of Lego with pictures.

Mr Morris said: "You can build up into a city with harbours, airports, oil rigs, rivers, skyscrapers, and a rail network, as well as streets and gardens with their own water falls and swimming pools."

Mr Morris launched his playsets with the help of a £5,000 bank loan after his bank manager became hooked on the game, is now flying all over the world drumming up business.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.