Do you hate the dark evenings and grey days? Do you long for sunshine in your life?

Well, a light pipe could be the answer. You put one end on the roof of your house, and feed the other end into a room where you want to bring a little natural daylight. The device literally pipes in the light.

It is not a new idea, by any means. Over the past decade, the pipes have become increasingly popular in sunnier parts of the world like Australia and the US.

But light pipes have not really caught on in the UK because they are inefficient - too much light is lost as it bounces down the inside of the reflective tube.

And in a country like the UK, where daylight often gets lost in rain clouds, this has been seen as a major drawback.

But now a new type of pipe, featured on the BBC Science programme Tomorrow's World, could give these slinky devices a fresh market.

Thin films

Unlike the old pipes that used a metallic coating inside the tube to channel the light, the new devices incorporate a new, patented, plastic material.

The plastic reflector is actually made up of several very thin layers - and each one behaves like the very thin films that make up soap bubbles.

Some of the light reflects off the surface of the film, and some travels through the film and reflects off the back surface. If the two reflected rays of light meet in the right way, they reinforce each other. By carefully controlling the number and thickness of the layers, the whole spectrum of light can be reflected, producing a near-perfect mirror.

The manufacturers say the new reflective coating should double the amount of light reaching the end of the pipe.

If they are right, the new pipes will not only provide more light on a cloudy day, they could also be made longer, with more twists and turns, to fit into less accessible areas.

Solatube, the international group, behind the new tubular skylight, says its new products will be on the market by the end of the year.

Tomorrow's World is broadcast on BBC One on Wednesdays at 1930 GMT