FIRST there was telephone dating, then there was speed dating and now, thanks to a trio of Hampshire businessmen, there's motorway dating.

In a bid to develop a social networking website to rival Net giants MySpace and Friends Reunited, the New Forest firm aims to help drivers to meet up.

Called Wannaflirt.co.uk, it gives every member a car sticker with an easy to remember code that gives the green light to flirt.

Paying £4.50 a month allows members who like the look of each other as they cruise the M27 to log on to the site, put in the number and get in contact. Alternatively, they can text the site and request you get back in touch.

It's the brainchild of three local businessmen who are funding the fledgling venture out of their own pockets while keeping their day jobs.

None will be named for fear of angering their bosses.

Spokesman Ian Macauley said: "You see somebody you like the look of online, on the road or in the town, and they're displaying their Wannaflirt.co.uk number - then you can go to the website, find their number and start flirting.

"If you're a member of an online social networking site, then you're saying that you're there to chat or flirt. But on the road or in another real-world environment, a big piece of the problem is that people simply don't know whether the target of their interest is actually out to flirt, or is going to be receptive to a chat-up line, or is going to be dismissive.

"Unless you're a body language expert or a psychologist you'd struggle to tell. But what if that person is wearing or displaying something that says, categorically, I want to flirt and chat'?

He says they make it clear they frown on motorists writing down flirt codes while they're at the wheel. Already the site has around 200 members and is aiming for "millions".

"Last week we had 30 members, now we have 200, that will turn into 300 within days. It's exponential," he said.

"All the big sites started with a handful of people chatting."