A TRAINEE architect who hopes to develop a new bicycle security product has been named one of Britain’s top 10 student entrepreneurs.

Anthony Lau, of Lakeside, Beckenham, is in the running for the £20,000 first prize in the new HSBC Unipreneurs Awards.

His invention, Cyclehoop, has already out-performed entries from hundreds of young business hopefuls.

The device allows cyclists to lock their bikes on signposts.

The 26-year-old trainee architect, who is doing a part-time architecture course at the University of Westminster, said he hoped his invention would encourage more people to cycle.

He said: “It’s essentially a steel hoop that clamps onto signposts and turns the post into a bicycle rack. People use street furniture to lock their bikes anyway, but the problem is they can fall over and cause an obstruction, and people can steal them by lifting them over the signpost. Cyclehoop uses what’s there and makes the bikes more secure.”

Anthony, who grew up in Hong Kong, hopes his idea will be well received in London and the surrounding areas due to a cycling boom in the capital.

The overall winner will be decided at a gala evening in April, when five finalists will be quizzed live on stage by a panel of experts about why they deserve to be crowned HSBC Unipreneur 2008.