When Miles Ackroyd rounded a bend in the road and his takeaway vindaloo fell off the seat it wasn't quite the disaster he first thought.

For the Skipton inventor it was not so much a valet problem as an inspiration!

And now two years on after the spill he has finally been able to patent a design for the product he believes truly puts the lid on the days of in-car curry catastrophes.

The 42-year-old, pictured, has just teamed-up with a major marketing company to realise the full potential of his Car Curry Hook.

"The idea for the hook first hit me when I was driving home from a takeaway with a curry on the front seat," explained Miles. "I went round a tight corner, it slipped off and spilled all over the car floor, ruining the carpet.

"I played around with a lots of designs before perfecting the hook. A T-bar clips into the glove box of any vehicle and the curry can then be hung safely and securely on the hook."

"It really works - we've tested it going round corners at speed, as well as over speed bumps," he said.

"While being a novelty item there's also a serious side to the product, in road safety terms, because drivers can keep both hands on the wheel - not one on the wheel and the other protecting their curry!

"The hook can also be used to hang bottles of wine, delicate food products, fish and chips, flowers - even goldfish from the fair!"

Mr Ackroyd sells the curry hook, manufactured in Skipton by Dickinson Phillips Ltd, of Snaygill Industrial Estate, from his Water Street gadget shop 'What's Up?'

He added: "It's been selling well locally, but I am now seeking to develop the product's potential nationally, as well as targeting companies and organisations who may be looking for unusual promotional items - the curry hook can also be personalised."

Restaurant owner Omar Khan, said he believed the hook was a "brilliant idea".

"I think it is a fantastic invention and I want to see this product in action," he said.

"If you are driving on your own and you put the curry on your seat then it can quite easily end up all over the place. I wish I had thought of this - I wish him all the best!"

Miles has set-up a website to promote the product at www.curryhook.co.uk