A LOAD of hot air or an inspired bit of entrepren-air-ship?

A young British businessman has set up a company which sells jars of fresh air from Somerset, Dorset and Wales.

Leo de Watts, 27, started the company Aethaer (pronounced ether) and has found a market in smog-filled cities in China where people are willing to pay up to £80 for a bottle of fresh British country air.

Launched at the start of January this year, Aethaer are reported to have sold 180 bottles already and said demand is outstripping supply.

Aethaer have coined the term 'air farming' to describe the practice, Mr de Watts said the team travel remote parts of the countryside away from the roads, whether up on the hills or down in the valleys, so that they can ensure customers are getting the best quality air.

In one of the promotional videos on the Aethaer website, Mr de Watts says "There are many countries like Hong Kong where pollution is high that you can sell a breath of fresh air at a premium."

The ‘premium quality’ product is being bottled in ‘heritage-style glass jars’ and sold for £80 each, with delivery setting you back another £8.

"Aethear is collected from fresh natural air flowing over a range of prime locations, from fertile lush pastures and wild untouched meadows, to wind-kissed hilltops and heavenly snow-capped mountains," an article on the company website explains.

"It’s filtered organically by nature as it flows between the leaves of woodland trees, absorbs pristine water as it passes over babbling brooks and forest streams, and is lovingly caressed as it rolls over and between mineral rich rock formations, after which it is blown up over vistas of untouched beauty."

The project certainly sounds far-fetched, but it does brings a breath of fresh air to the market!