A Dales businessman has played a leading role in the development of a revolutionary new fleece which he

claims will take the market by storm.

Tom Lambert, who runs Daleswear at Ingleton, said the ground-breaking fabric was specially designed to give the wearers a high wind-resistant garment which is comfortable to wear in all conditions.

Working with Burnley-based Cloverbrook Ltd, he has helped to produce a fleece with much higher insulation levels than traditional fleece, using a special manufacturing process which knits the fibres tightly together.

And to prove the so-called Superfleece lives up to its claims, he invited representatives from the emergency services and private companies to put the firm's garments through their paces during a

seven mile walk up Ingleborough.

The result was a resounding thumbs up for the material, which Daleswear is making into jackets, hats, scarves, head bands and gloves.

Cumbria police force is already issuing jumpers made from the fabric to its officers, and Daleswear has also supplied Greater Manchester Constabulary and fire service, West Yorkshire fire brigade and the Forestry Commission as well as corporate customers.

Now Mr Lambert is targeting other police and fire services across the country for further orders.

"It's a difficult market to break into.

But people are amazed at what we are doing and can't believe a small company like ours is leading the way with what we're doing," he told Business Gazette.

Mr Lambert is convinced the new fabric will replace traditional material in all fleece garments within two years.

"It will make old fleeces obsolete," he predicted.

Meanwhile, another fabric developed by Cloverbrook promises to solve the perennial problem of smelly socks and shirts, according to Mr Lambert.

The X-Static-Silver Fibre contains a layer of silver bound into the yarn which the manufacturer claims not only kills bacteria producing body odour, but is also cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

Daleswear has just started selling garments made from the special yarn and Mr Lambert is convinced he is on to a winner.

Using silver to kill certain types of bacteria dates back to Roman times, and today it is used extensively in the medical industry for its healing powers.

Mr Lambert says garments worn next to the skin can last up to several days longer without smelling, eliminating the need for people to use deodorant sprays and even cutting down on washing.

"I believe it's going to be massive and will sell big time.

Once people find out about it, they will want to buy more than one garment."

Daleswear was formed by Mr Lambert in 1979 when he converted a spare time hobby into a full-time business.

The former Angus Fire engineer started making his own clothing for caving and climbing and, after friends requested similar garments, he decided to take the plunge and become his own boss.

Business took off and he moved to bigger premises in Laundry Lane in 1994, opening a shop and at one time employing some 45 staff.

When big orders from two major customers dried up after they sourced cheaper products from abroad, Mr Lambert started to concentrate more on research and development work, investing in computer aided design and increasingly targeting the corporate market.

Today, the business has a 25-strong workforce and Mr Lambert also runs another factory in Co Durham employing a similar number of staff.