A BASINGSTOKE couple are set to become millionaires from a medical invention.

Housewife Helen Lismore, 39, and her partner Graham Holland, 38, a plumber, of Abbey Road, Popley, have perfected a method of relieving haemorrhoids - and it is about to be taken up by a big American medical company.

"We will probably be millionaires by next year," an excited Helen told The Gazette. "We are in talks at the moment with one of the biggest companies in the world. I can't say who it is at the moment - but by the end of January, we should be signing a contract with them.

"They are very keen and the talks are going very well. We are so thrilled about it.

"We have already got an American patent and US federal Drug Administration approval - you need that before any drug or medical product can be sold in America. If everything goes to plan, we probably won't be living in Popley by next year."

Four years ago, Helen knew someone who suffered from haemorrhoids and suggested they use ice to cool and relieve them. From that she got the idea for "Ice Cool Batons" - small bullet-shaped ice moulds the size of a pen.

After perfecting the batons, the couple set up their own company, Beehive, to manufacture and market them from their home.

Last year, The Gazette reported how Ice Cool Batons won the Invention of the Year award in the British Inventors consumer section.

Now, Unichem have just taken up the product and it will be going out to chemists in this country next month.

But the couple's big break came eight weeks ago when they were invited onto the Discovery Channel's inventors' show What's the Big Idea.

"The idea of the show is that if they think an invention is good, they get a company that takes up and markets new products to push it further for you," explained mother-of-three Helen. "We were well on the way even before the show was screened last Tuesday.

"It's all so exciting. We can't believe it has happened. It's an inventor's dream come true.

"Only one per cent of inventions ever make it to the marketplace. And it looks like ours has taken off.

"It will change all our lives," added Helen, who has three children Adam, 18, Tara, 12, and Jessica, 11, from a previous marriage.