A PRIZE-WINNING young Kidderminster inventor is hoping to take the plunge into business with his robot pool cleaner.

Jonathan Merotra has taken out a patent on the cleaner he came up with as a school project and is looking for ways to dive into the marketplace.

"I had the idea because it's my job to clean the pool at home every day and I got fed up with it," said the 18-year-old student from Blakedown.

"I did it as part of my course at school and I got more enthusiastic about it as I worked on it."

The floating cleaner is designed to work on its own, overnight.

It drags a net behind it to clear debris from the surface of a swimming pool and, when it hits the side, it changes direction.

"I have called it the Aqua Cleaner and taken out a patent," said Jonathan, who has identified America as the biggest likely market to float his idea.

"I'm due to start a course in business management at Nottingham University in September but I may take a year out to work on selling the cleaner," he added.

The Royal Grammar School Worcester pupil has already had success in two recent competitions and won prize money totalling £300.

He was commended when he came fourth in the Young Persons Award for Innovation competition and he was the overall winner of the West Midlands final of the Young Engineers for Britain contest.

Next stop for the cleaner is the national final in Greenwich, London in September.