A new eco-friendly building material is set to dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of housing developments.

The green credentials of the Eco-Slab, developed by a Brighton construction company, have already been recognised by Shell, which awarded the company £40,000 after it triumphed in the South East regional heats of its annual Springboard competition, which rewards small businesses for tackling climate change.

Eco-Slab, based in Eaton Gardens, Hove, is a spin-off company of Trendform, which manufactures concrete moulds used for building foundations.

Reinforced polystyrene slabs replace the need for pre-cast concrete floors, the average weight of which is 14 tons. In contrast, an average floor made from Eco-Slabs weighs 140kg.

Company founders Royston Clifton and Bernard Barker spent five years developing the technology.

It has now been used in 20 house-building projects across the country and is ready to go into mass production.

Because there is no need to involve heavy plant machinery with Eco-Slabs, the carbon footprint of a new house can be cut by 80%, the overall costs reduced by 35% and the time taken to build by about 50%.

Mr Clifton said the Shell award had been a huge boost because it had introduced the company to like-minded businesses.

He added: “At first we were not going to enter the awards because we were up against electric car makers and people making windmills and solar panels.

“We were the only construction company to enter, so we were delighted to win.”