Necessity is the mother of invention and, for one Oxfordshire business owner, using underwhelming products simply spurred him to search the world for something better.

Hugh Robertson had been handling successful recycling contracts, particularly with Thames Water, which meant investing in temporary roadways.

These allow heavy vehicles across farmland and countryside to access remote facilities.

As a result, in 2001 he started Terrafirma, a company supplying temporary roadways to a variety of customers. This made the best use of the roadways investment and protected him from the risk of the recycling contracts not being renewed.

But he was disappointed with the products available at the time, which were basically large aluminium sheets bolted together.

These sheets have to be manually handled and the tie-strips linking them together protrude, representing a trip hazard. They also tend to sink into wet ground, creating a quagmire and lifting soil when they are taken up.

If the weather is good the aluminium sheets heat up in the sun, again damaging the land. To top it all, with metal prices the way they are, the sheets are frequently lifted and stolen overnight, making expensive security measures necessary.

So Mr Robertson set out to find a better product.

“In 2007, I was talking to a customer, trying to persuade them to use the aluminium system, when they said they had found a rubber system in Canada,” he said.

“I went on the Internet and couldn’t find that system, but I did find Dura-Base.”

Dura-Base is a composite plastic mat, manufactured in the USA, where each mat overlaps by 300mm to slot into its neighbour.

Mr Robertson then developed a system called the Terra Multi-Grab which fitted the holes in the Dura-Base mats. They could then be lifted and placed in the smaller confines typical of sites in the UK.

This completely removed the need for operators to place hands under the sheets and the overlap means there are no joining plates.

So the two main health and safety problems were avoided and, as the mats are not aluminium, it also cut the risk of theft.

Dura-Base mats are also kinder to the environment. There is little heating up of the land and the flexibility of the mats, combined with the 300mm overlap, means there are no gaps that water and mud can force their way through. This means less damage and lower levels of soil cross-contamination between sites, something that concerns farmers and landowners.

Recently, Terrafirma held a successful open day at Milletts Farm food and garden centre near Abingdon to highlight the product, along with American supplier Newpark.

The latest innovation was a cornerpiece that allows the temporary roadways a tighter and tidier turning circle.

The system is ideal for utility companies which have ‘wayleave’ arrangements that effectively allow them access to any land to get at their equipment.

Although there is compensation for any damage done, prevention is better than cure.

William Cumber, who owns Manor Farm, Marcham, has been a customer of Mr Robertson’s since 1981.

At the open day full use was made of the Millets Farm site and the wet weather to demonstrate the mats’ abilities to be quickly laid down, take the weight of the heaviest cranes in their stride, before being cleaned and taken up again.

The most surprising part of the demonstration saw the delegates invited to walk on water.

A group walked onto a pontoon of Dura-Base mats, laid 35 metres out into a lake, with no support whatsoever.

Mr Robertson added the start to the year had been ‘unbelievable’ and he is looking to expand into new markets.

Name: Terrafirma Established: 2001 Owner/managing director: Hugh Robertson Number of staff: 20 Annual turnover: Confidential

Contact: 01235 868835 Web: www.terrafirma.gb.com