A YOUNG entrepreneur who made the earth move after coming out of prison has scooped a royal accolade.

Wayne Cooper, 28, from Minster, Ramsgate, won third prize in The Prince's Trust and The Royal Bank of Scotland Group Business Award for the South East. He saw off hundreds of rivals to win a cash prize and framed certificate.

Wayne turned his back on crime to work in the groundwork business. After a few years learning the trade, he decided to become his own boss and founded Cooper's Digger And Tipper Hire, a company specialising in site clearance, demolition and earth moving. The Prince's Trust, a charity founded by Prince Charles, backed Wayne by granting him a £3,000 loan to buy his first machine.

Wayne, who left school without any qualifications, has come a long way since a teenage drunken assault in a Birchington pub put him away for 15 months.

"I had a short fuse and every now and then I'd lose it," he admitted after receiving his award during a VIP ceremony held in a private museum of vintage cars in Uckfield, Sussex.

"I hated prison and decided it was my once and final time. I have tried to get on with my life and go somewhere. I learned the hard way."

Wayne did a computer course in prison and emerged to found a company that is going from strength to strength. He employs two people, has a turnover of more than £60,000 and predicts that sales will double this year.

He paid tribute to the Trust, his family and local firms for their faith in his determination to put the past behind him and run a successful enterprise.

He had this message for other young people wanting to escape a life of crime: "If you're got a good idea, go for it. Snap out of it and if you've got out of it, contact the Prince's Trust. You can escape."

Kent enjoyed a double triumph, with Sarah Jayne Edwards, from Rochester, winning the top regional prize for her nappy laundering service Baby Buddies.

Sarah Jayne, a doughty opponent of disposable nappies that take 500 years to decompose in landfill sites, goes on to the national final which is likely to be attended by Prince Charles himself.

Jim Edgar, regional business manager for NatWest, now part of the Royal Bank of Scotland, said: "These awards reflect the determination and drive of these Trust-supported entrepreneurs despite some of them trading against the odds.

"They have shown what can be achieved in the face of difficulties. They deserve our admiration, appreciation and support."

He urged local business people to give up three or four hours a month to become mentors of these young people.