A RAYLEIGH entrepreneur appeared on Dragon’s Den to bid for investment for novel underwear which can be taken off without removing clothing.

Aurora Tyas describes Pop & Go Knickers as “the only quick dry travel underwear with fasteners on the sides, enabling wearers to quickly change”.

She asked the panel for a £65,000 investment for the product – which she said is already in a few outdoor wear shops – in return for a 25 per cent stake in her business.

Unfortunately for her, the panel were unimpressed with Ms Tyas’s plans, with Duncan Bannatyne telling her: “I don’t think there’s a market there. This is not going to ever be worth even £65,000.”

But the 29-year-old is confident about her product. She said: “They are a lifesaver for people with limited mobility or back injuries, who couldn’t otherwise put on their underwear unaided.”

She added: “The showwas quite nerve-wracking, but I’m glad I went on it. They actually film for about an hour.

“Before it was shown I did fear the worst, as sometimes they just show the entrepreneurs for a few seconds and just the bad bits, but they showed me for nine minutes and they really let me explain the product.”

KellyHoppen criticisedAurora’s habit of interrupting the panel while they were speaking, but computing pioneer Piers Linney said thathe saw in her the “embodiment of an entrepreneur”.

He said that he would have invested in her if she had a different idea and that he would introduce her to a friend of his who owns an outdoor wear company.

Aurora, who lives just off the A127, said the underwear is designed for “women who travel and participate in outdoor pursuits, so they can be sure of staying comfortable”.

She added: “I invented the underwear concept on my round-theworld trip because nothing existed to solve this common problem found among travellers and people who do a lot of outdoor activities.”