BUDDING inventors in Worcestershire have been asked to get in the swim after Goodyear launched a hunt to find the most novel way to cross a stretch of water.

The tyre makers have set up a national 'HydraGrip' competition, with people being asked to build a flotation device that can cross a 25 metre stretch of water in the quickest possible time. The rules of the competition state that the vehicle must be built from scratch for the event, and that no oars are allowed for propelling it across the water.

Prospective competitors can obtain an entry form from the HydraGrip hotline on 0121 362 4060, when they will be sent an entry form, along with details of the regional heat.

The best entrants from the area will land a place in the national final, to be held at London's Docklands, with the overall HydraGrip champion collecting £5,000 along with a set of Goodyear's wet weather safety tyres for their car.

Goodyear corporate communications manager James Bailey believes the challenge will really get people thinking.

He said: "Last year we ran Britian's first HydraZorbing championship.

"This was great fun and gave people a really novel way of travelling across the water - it was like being inside a giant hamster ball."