TELEVISION'S Dragons’ Den experts could be in deep doggie-do this week after turning down a pooper-scooper idea from a Ledbury brother and sister duo. Because Stuart Kirby and Helen Morris have quadrupled sales of their innovative pet waste clearer, despite failing to secure investment from the entrepreneurs. On last night’s show (Sunday, Jan 26), the duo faced the Dragons who declined to back their unique product – the dooup complete pet waste clearer. Now, nine months after the programme was recorded, the business has never been stronger, reporting sales of more than £150,000.

Managing director Mr Kirby said: "Despite the Dragons not seeing the potential in the product, sales have since quadrupled, and while we’ve not had much of a marketing budget, our success proves that the dooup is a viable solution for pet owners. We’re looking forward to expanding our product range, exploring new markets and investing in sales and marketing in 2014.”

The company has also been awarded a grant to support the development of a new on-the-go pet hygiene product and marketing director, Mrs Morris, added: "We are working with one of the UK’s 46 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty to help preserve a much loved walking attraction, the Malvern Hills. They are supporting the development of our second product for dog walkers which is a clear sign that the business and brand are doing well. We have the right people behind us who share our vision to make a cleaner and more sustainable Britain.”

The dooup is touted as the next generation pooper scooper for the garden and with its patented ‘scoop-flush technology’ and five in one functionality is claimed to be the first to provide a truly contactless solution to animal waste collection. It covers, clears, sanitises, stores and seals away dog waste, conveniently storing around a weeks’ worth of waste before the biodegradable bag inside automatically seals upon removal.

"The built in sanitiser contains Byotrol’s powerful, gentle and long-lasting technology to give garden users the peace of mind of not only clearing their dog’s waste quickly and easily but also by helping to prevent the spread of bacteria and parasites," Mr Kirby added. "In 2005, Peter Jones claimed that ‘someone should invent something to clear up dog waste’. And yet, eight years on when only scoops and grabbers are available on the market, the Dragons, when presented with this unique gadget, failed to see the potential."

Despite the dragons ‘poo pooing’ the idea, the dooup is now selling well online, is available to buy in 45 PamPurred Pet stores and has started to gain traction globally, attracting attention from pet owners around the world. It was recently crowned ‘best selling new product’ by the leading UK catalogue company Scotts and Co.