Could it soon be the M1 '˜brought to you in association with Morrisons'?

Sports teams, supermarkets and tech firms are among the companies who could purchase the naming rights of major roads, Edmund King said.

This could lead to the Manchester United M6, the Microsoft M4 and the Adidas A1, according to the motoring expert.

A US-style Adopt-a-Highway scheme should be considered for local roads, whereby businesses help pay for litter collections in return for roadside advertising, Mr King said.

The ideas are part of his proposal to change the way people are charged for driving in the UK, with the current system meaning motorists pay some of the highest taxes in Europe to use a road network that in some places is congested and deteriorating.

The Road Miles concept, created by Mr King and his wife, business analyst Deirdre, would offer all drivers at least 3,000 free miles each year, with a small charge for further distances, in a bid to reduce non-essential journeys.

It is one of five shortlisted entries for the £250,000 Wolfson economics prize to reduce traffic jams. Car drivers in the first year would pay less than one pence per mile and there would be concessions for those living in the most rural areas and the disabled.

A nationwide lottery and an auction of extra miles would be used to keep the scheme’s costs down and fund maintenance such as pothole repairs. The proposal would see fuel duty drop from 58p per litre to 47p within five years, and more than £3bn in investment for roads could be generated.

Mr King claimed Road Miles would be “miles better, fairer, greener, safer”. He went on: “Drivers fed up with current cones, congestion, and chaos will be compensated for delays and have a say in how our roads are run.”

Mrs King said: “Road Miles will bridge the gap between falling fuel duty revenue and the electric vehicle revolution.”

The prize, founded by Lord Wolfson, chief executive of clothing giant Next, will be awarded in July. Lord Wolfson said: “The creativity and enthusiasm demonstrated by the entrants to the 2017 prize has been inspiring.”