You are never too old to start a business.

Alan and Eve Burton are proof of that.

The Wem couple look set to take the angling industry by storm with Alan’s invention - a unique lead-free multiweight float adaptor.

They have launched A&E Angling Products to sell the £8 set online - and their business has already had rave reviews in the angling press.

It is their first business venture - Alan is aged 76 and Eve is 78.

The kit comprises a set of 10 machined brass, nickel-plated weights in individual sizes, three connector posts and three silicone connector tubes.

“Every angler using the old system always thought there must be a better way of fastening the float on the line without all this shot, but no one seemed to have come up with it,” said keen fisherman Alan.

The former engineer gave it some thought and came up with his idea fairly quickly. Alan’s system means weights can be fitted in seconds, self-locking on the line without the need for any polluting lead shot. The unique design converts any type of standard float into a loaded float.

“It was so easy to fit that I thought anglers would love it, so I patented the idea,” he explained.

Alan then took the idea to some big companies in the hope that they would take it on, but all wanted him to sign a confidentiality clause, he said.

“I wasn’t too happy about that so I said to Eve ‘Shall we do it ourselves, what do you think?’. She said ‘Yes’ and that’s how it got started.”

The couple drafted a nephew into the firm to ensure there was some “young blood” on board.

“We want the company to have a long-term future and we might not be the best people to ensure that,” said Alan with a wry smile.

They recruited a small firm in Telford to manufacture the adaptors and packaging while the weights are made in Mumbai in India.

The company then set up a website to market the invention and an account with e-Bay to sell it.

Already around 2,000 of the sets have been sold.

The kit has been featured in the Angling Times and has drawn wide praise from anglers, said Alan.

He knows he has tapped into a boom market.

“There are four million anglers in this country - it is the most popular participant sport. And from the feedback we’ve had, there will be a lot of interest in it.”

The Angling Times was particularly complimentary, describing A&E’s product as a “superb no-shot system”.