AN ENTERPRISING entrepreneur's invention is in the running for a top national award.

The Mudbuster is the brainchild of Roddy Hall, 41, who lives in Old Malton.

And it has been selected as a finalist in the 1999 DIY Week/Housewares Magazine Industry Awards for best new garden products.It is an ingenious device for cleaning boots and shoes and keeping dirt outdoors.

A delighted Roddy said: "It's like being up for an Oscar. If Mudbuster pulls off the top prize, it will be a huge boost for sales. Attending the awards ceremony will be very exciting and important for us as well."

Roddy, and his sales director Tim Pickard, from Urchin Ltd, will be going to the awards ceremony in London next month, which will be attended by more than 500 people, including top industry buyers.

The ceremony is to be presented by BBC TV newsreader Nicholas Witchell and Sky TV presenter Anna Walker.

Roddy said: "The prospect of having to go on stage in front of all those people is terrifying, but it will be worth it if Mudbuster wins."

Made out of a specially formulated plastic and rubber compound which is strong and flexible, the Mudbuster is a tray-shaped mat and inset with hundreds of small plastic spikes.

By standing in the Mudbuster and adding a bit of water, you can clean off mud by simply shuffling your shoes or boots around.

Roddy is now hoping to get distribution through large supermarkets and has just secured his first major overseas order from Australia.

He said: "We have had interest in Mudbuster from all over the world, including Japan and Australia and are confident that it is going to be a big seller.

"An award like the DIY Week one will give us the extra boost that we need."

The recent flooding in Old Malton failed to halt the inventor and his company Urchin Ltd. He piled up sandbags to keep out the water from his house in Town Street.

The Mudbuster was just what was needed for those who had waded through the waste high waters in Town Street. He said: "I don't mind orders flooding in, but not rivers."

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