THE British weather has inspired a new online business selling fashionable rainwear imported from Europe and Japan.

North-East based rainfrog.

co.uk, created by Karen Thorne and Heather Goodhand, has experienced high demand for its products since being set up in February.

After its initial success the firm is to expand its range.

Ms Thorne said: “The idea for Rainfrog came from how miserable our weather can be. There is a limited women’s fashion market in the UK for funky rainwear.

“I discovered that in countries such as Holland and France there is a large dedicated market for stylish waterproofs.

It seemed strange to me that there wasn’t similar choice in the female fashion market here, given the amount of rainfall the UK receives, and it appeared that there was a definite window of opportunity.”

The pair received help from publicly-funded support agency Business Link to get the Newcastle-based firm off the ground. The organisation assisted in a successful funding application towards Rainfrog’s web-development.

Ms Thorne said: “Our own research was essential in getting Rainfrog off the ground.

We spent a lot of time analysing weather patterns in the UK compared to established markets overseas. It was important we got all our planning right in order to get a clear idea of the potential demand for our products.”