IT has attracted the interest of the style director on the X Factor.

Now a sticky device designed to ensure shoes do not slip off feet could be on heading to the high street - and you might even see it in vending machines.

Laura Birrell hatched the idea for Sticky Heelz after buying some designer shoes 10 years ago.

The Christian Louboutin shoes were, admittedly, two sizes too big. But it struck the former corporate director that women would welcome a product that could solve the age-old dilemma of shoes sliding off feet.

Having built a prototype with sticky back plasters and Velcro, she has spent the last two years developing the product with the support of Business Gateway.

Her system, believed to be unique, ensures that shoes stay in place, reduces friction, and keeps blisters at bay.

She has had talks with high street and online retailers looking to launch their own-brand versions.

And she is looking into the possibility of making Sticky Heelz available in vending machines across the UK, while the style director on TV’s the X Factor enquired about testing the product during live shows.

A spokeswoman for Sticky Heelz said Ms Birrell had an agreement in principle with SV 365 Technologies, one of the UK’s leading vending machine networks, which would see the product on sale in airport vending machines within the next six weeks.

The spokeswoman added: "It is anticipated the product will then be available in vending machines in hotels, nightclubs etcetera throughout the UK thereafter."

Explaining the origins of the product, Ms Birrell, who comes from Cambuslang, said: “It may seem a trivial problem to some, but it drove me mad.

“After undertaking market research I realised it was a big issue for a lot of women – and for many men too. We all have a pair of beautiful shoes, like my Louboutin’s, that are difficult to walk in or shoes that have loosened through wear, that rub or move around when worn for any period of time.

“I became fixated with finding a solution, it literally kept me awake at night!”

Ms Birrell, who is originally from Oban, currently sells Sticky Heelz online for £9.95. The price includes four heel and two shoe pads.

But she is now aiming to get major brands to manufacture the product under licence, which could see the recommended selling price reduced to £6.99.

Business Gateway has provided the entrepreneur with advice on branding and intellectual property and she has now filed an international patent application for the product.

The intention is to target the US market and then the Far East using online marketplaces, location-specific websites and distributors once that is secured.

Laura said: “Business Gateway saw the potential in my idea right away.

"They helped me secure funding that allowed me to undertake an IP audit and gain expert SEO (search engine optimisation) advice which I wouldn’t have been able to pay for myself.

“They also organised an intensive marketing and branding session that made me think about what I was doing and about my packaging - without that help I could well have gone down the wrong road.”

Business Gateway adviser Tom Pettigrew said: “With our help Laura has been able to access support and funding from the likes of Scottish Enterprise and South Lanarkshire Council to bring her product to market.

"As an individual trying to break into a multi-million pound industry, that support, along with our advice, has proved invaluable to her, not only helping to shape her thinking but boosting her confidence and knowledge.”