A SCIENTIST from Huddersfield is using the humble carrot to make high-technology fishing rods.

And Dr David Hepworth now hopes to use the same process to make car parts such as body panels – and possibly even take it a gigantic step further into the aerospace industry.

It sounds like the stuff of films, but Dr Hepworth, from Meltham, and his business partner, Dr Eric Whale, have made it a reality and the first fishing rods are now on sale.

The trade name for the material is Curran.

It has been a labour of love as both scientists are keen on fishing.

Fishing rods are usually made from carbon fibre, a none-too environmentally-friendly process which uses oil and a lot of energy.

But at the core of Dr Hepworth’s fishing rods is cellulose from carrots.

It takes about three kilograms of carrots to make a single rod and the two-week fermentation process is also green with bacteria used to extract the cellulose.

The result is a putty-style material which is then put into moulds and heat-cured to make the rods.

Each rod takes about three weeks to go through the full process and when working flat out Dr Hepworth and Dr Whale can make up to 100 a day.

They sell for between £325 and £375 each, whereas carbon fibre rods sell for between £50 and £1,000.

Dr Hepworth, a former Honley High School pupil, said: “It all sounds unbelievable, but it has taken five years of research and development to get it to this stage.

“Both Eric and myself are material scientists and spent many years at universities developing materials for other people.

“All plants have cellulose, which humans can’t digest.

“But there are certain ways of extracting it and if the cellulose is taken right down to the molecular level, which we call the nano level, it is incredibly strong.

“Unlike the oil used to make carbon fibres Curran takes its main ingredient from carrots’ nano-fibres.

“These are then combined with high-tech resins to create a material that can be moulded to whatever degree of strength, stiffness or flexibility is required.

“We spent a lot of time and effort doing this without damaging the cellulose. Carrots have a very high cellulose content.

The ultra-light and super-strong fishing rods are marketed under the name Just Cast.

Dr Hepworth added: “Just Cast rods are hollow, with an inner carbon shell enveloped with continuously tapering Curran to form a hybrid composite that delivers outstanding balance and power for range casting.

’’It’s brand new technology and has many advantages. The potential uses are far greater than just fishing rods. It is a case of continual research and development for now.’’

The company is based in Fife, Scotland, is the second largest area in the UK for growing carrots.

The carrots they use are mis-shapes rejected on the production line.

Dr Hepworth lives there with partner Melanie and two-year-old daughter, Lucy.

His parents, Pam and Ian, live in Meltham.

He met Dr Whale while both were working at Reading University.

At the university he investigated biomaterials, making and testing glass fibre and plant fibre reinforced composites.

Later, as a lecturer in mechanical engineering at Bath University, he found biomimetic solutions – solutions from the natural world – to engineering problems.