JAMES Dyson's latest invention could mean as many as 300 new jobs for Malmesbury.

The inventor, who launched the CR01 Contrarotator washing machine at the Malmesbury factory on Thursday November 2, said he is keen to keep his business in the town rather than moving to a larger city location.

The unveiling of the washing machine in front of the world's media, many of whom were flown from London by helicopter, brought an end to weeks of speculation aboutMr Dyson's invention .

Mr Dyson said: "I want to go on making it here in Malmesbury.

"We like being here and I want to go on employing locally rather than going out to the cities.

"This will mean 200 to 300 jobs extra and this could increase as we build up production."

Mr Dyson said all the engineering, design and planning had been carried out in Malmesbury and the machines would be assembled at the factory, although most of the parts would be made elsewhere.

"Moulding of some of the components will be carried out here and the majority of the parts will come from Great Britain," he said.

North Wiltshire MP James Gray was delighted.

"This is brilliant news for Malmesbury and I very much welcome these new jobs," he said.

"I have strong support for James Dyson in everything he does."

Top secret research and testing has been going on since Mr Dyson decided on the project in 1997.

More than a dozen of the machines, the result of a million man hours of research and development, have been tested in homes in the area for the past six months.

The company claims the Contrarotator washes a normal load in half the time of its leading competitors' models.

It is not disimilar to the Dyson vaccumm cleaner's dual cyclone technology, and has two drums which simultaneously spin in different directions in order to move garments around within the drum more than in conventional machines.

The load capacity is also 25 per cent more than its next biggest competitor.

Mr Dyson said he came up with the idea by looking at handwashing, which tests have shown has better results than automatic machine washing. He tried to replicate the flexing movement of the fabric in a washing machine.

Dyson claims the machine will clean more clothes more quickly and garments come out cleaner from it than than from other machines.

The seven kilogramme capacity can accommodate kingsize duvets.

The washer, which comes in Dyson's trademark purple and yellow colour scheme or a blue option, include a control display at 45 degrees which makes it easier to read without having to bend down, and a coin trap which allows users to see any stray coins or buttons stuck in the system and remove them easily.

It has a double door mechanism, with an internal door which spins around with the drum.

This eliminates the need for the usual rubber seal, which can rot and sometimes damage clothes as they are pulled out after a wash.

The machine is already in producation at Malmesbury but full scale production is not expected to start until next spring.

It is hoped the Contrarotator CR01, which will sell at just under £1,000 wil be in the shops for Christmas.

"It is more expensive than other models but I think it is well worth it," said Mr Dyson.

THE world's media descended on Wiltshire for the launch of James Dyson's latest invention.

More than 100 journalists, including several from Japan and America, were flown into Dyson's Malmesbury factory by helicopter for the unveiling of the revolutionary new washing machine on Thursday.

The launch of the Contrarotator CR01 bought an end to weeks of speculation over what Dyson had been working on behind closed doors following the success of his world famous dual cyclone vacuum cleaner.

Mr Dyson revealed he had been working on the idea for more than four years and it had consumed a million man-hours.

He tried out various weird and wonderful prototypes, including machines which used ultra-sound, water-jets and compression before hitting the jackpot with the two-drummed machine.

Fifteen Malmesbury residents, including Mr Dyson's wife Deirdre, have been testing the machine in secrecy for the past six months.

The inventor claims the machine, which has two drums which spin in opposite directions, would revolutionise washing, making it faster, quieter and cleaner.

He starting working on the invention after the surprising discovery that washing clothes by hand got them cleaner than in a washing machine.

"Seventeen minutes of washing by hand is better than 67 minutes in the best washing machine," he said.

He said the reason behind this was hands could knead the garments and move them around to release the dirt.

"In a conventional machine the clothes go round and round, then spend long periods soaking in the detergent.

"It is this that gets them clean, not the rotation of the drum."

The double-drum mechanism means the clothes are moved around more, making, Dyson claims, cleaning more efficient and effective and cutting the time of a normal wash cycle by around half to just 49 minutes.

The machine is available in the trademark Dyson purple and yellow colour scheme, along with blue or silver.

It is capable of taking a seven kg load and its other features include a coin trap for stray buttons and coins.

And in the true Dyson fashion of doing things by twos, the Contrarotator has two doors, one of which spins around with the drum. This puts an end to the usual rubber lining inside the door which can rot and damage clothes.

Mr Dyson said he was keen to continue employing local people. The machines, which are hoped to hit the shop shelves by Christmas priced at just under £1,000, will all be assembled in Malmesbury for the foreseeable future.

"We like being in Malmesbury and want to continue to employ locally rather than going to the cities," said Mr Dyson.

MP James Gray said the invention, which will mean a further 200 to 300 jobs for the area, was good news for Wiltshire.