Les Squires obituary

My friend Les Squires, who has died aged 76, was a scientific specialist in non-woven fabrics. He developed many materials and fabrics for medical, hygiene, insulation, agricultural and construction uses.

After a long period in research at the chemicals company Johnson & Johnson, in the late 1990s he set up a business called Web Dynamics with a friend, Tim Woodbridge, to make new materials. They opened a factory near Bolton in Lancashire, and though they had some scary times as the economy fluctuated, they persevered and ultimately became very successful, opening a second factory in China.