Manchester United could sponsor the M6 motorway to generate funds for investment in roads, the president of the AA has claimed.

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 Morrisons M1, 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.