WILTSHIRE entrepreneur James Dyson said Britain should join the euro as soon as possible.

Speaking from the company's vacuum cleaner factory in Tetbury Hill, Malmesbury, Mr Dyson said: "Immediate entry to the euro is vital.

"France and Germany are going to be euro currency countries, and 70 per cent of Britain's exports are to those countries.

"Exports of British goods are vital for the economy and Britain's wealth.

"They are also essential for British manufacturing jobs."

He said export has been made difficult by the strength of the pound over the past two years.

"Trading with euro countries at wildly fluctuating exchange rates is not good for British manufacturing," he said.

"Because the pound has been 30 per cent higher than the euro over the past two years, British exports to Europe are down."