A NORTH-EAST student is hoping to copy another computer whizz-kid's idea to pay off his university debts.

Alex Tew became a dollar millionaire on Thursday after selling the final part of his innovative website, Million Dollar Homepage.

He set up the site with a million pixels and sold them as blocks of advertising space at $100 a time.

After five months, revenue from the scheme had generated $999,000 (£566,000) and he sold the last 1,000 pixels on Internet auction site eBay.

After a ten-day wait. the Wiltshire-born Nottingham University business student sold the final piece for $38,100. (£21,593)

Now Northumbria University multi-media student Stuart Howard is hoping to follow in his footsteps to clear £15,000 of student debts.

Mr Howard, 22, of East View, Kimblesworth, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, is copying the concept with his web page and slightly varied its name by inserting the word "pixel" in between the words "dollar"' and "homepage".

He spent about £200 setting it up and said he has already taken $8,000 from people prepared to advertise.

Mr Howard said: "I have got nothing to lose by doing this, so I may as well. My site is in the early stages, so I will just have to wait and see what happens. My friends all think it is a brilliant idea and they wish they were doing it.

"If I am successful I will not only pay off my debts, but get a nice car and go on holiday to somewhere like Spain or Dubai."

He said if he reaches the $1m figure, he will give $300,000 to Cancer Research as an added incentive for people to buy the advertising space from him.

To visit the website, log on to www.themilliondollarpixelhomepage.com