MAN DODGES DANGER TO COMMUTE ON PENNY FARTHING
Meet the Victorian gentleman who could not face sitting next to smelly commuters on the bus - so he dodges danger to go to work on a penny farthing. Eccentric Jake Redfern, 21, rides high on the nine miles to his job as a caretaker at a school using a modern version of the 19th century form of transport. He stops motorists and passers by in their tracks wherever he goes as they stare in wonder at him riding his historic-style bike complete with Victorian dress of top hat and long jacket. Negotiating a tricky motorway junction over the M5 and nearly a dozen main roads aboard the bike he has named Tallulah, Jake carefully weaves in and out of traffic for over eight miles twice a day. Instead of spending the £700 on an annual bus pass he chose to spend £400 on the bike last year from an internet auction site. And he says he was inspired to choose a greener mode of transport to work after simply becoming tired of the personal hygiene of many of his fellow travellers. He said: "I was looking for some sort of mode of transport to work because I can't stand sitting next to smelly people on the bus.
Other great stories
ABANDONED PLAZA HOTEL
The beds are consumed by moss instead of customers at this abandoned hotel .
WOMAN LOSES 8ST AFTER ENERGY DRINK HABIT NEARLY BLINDS HER
A diabetic who was addicted to energy drinks has lost 8st after doctors warned her habit was blinding her .
MIDDLE-AGED SOMERSET COUPLE TAKE UP WRITING TO DEATH ROW INMATES
A middle-aged couple from Somerset have developed a rather unusual hobby to occupy their time: writing to killers on death row .
FLORESCENT PLANKTON LIGHT UP AUSTRALIAN SEA
An Australian beach is illuminated by an enticing neon blue glow as a rare phenomenon lights up the water .
PRAIRIE DOG AND STARLING STAND-OFF
This starling and prairie dog will not back down an inch as they have a fearsome stand-off over who gets to eat a nut .
SHOOTING IN WALSALL, TWO DEAD
Two people have been arrested after a man and woman were shot dead at a house in the Midlands in the early hours of this morning .
GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS GANG JAILED FOR 12YRS
A gang whose £1-million supercar scam has echoes of the film Gone In Sixty Seconds has been jailed for a total of 12 years .
DOUBLE OR NOTHING: TWINS SPEND £150,000 TO LOOK IDENTICAL
TWIN SISTERS from Australia have taken their sisterly bond to the extreme by spending £150,000 to look IDENTICAL .
ADORABLE CHIMP SHOWS OFF GYMNASTIC SKILLS
WITHOUT a care in the world, this little chimpanzee shows off her gymnastic skills as she swings around her enclosure .
MOODY GORILLA
SAT with his arms folded and a cross look on his face, this Gorilla looks like he's had enough of the Christmas holidays already .
STUNNING BRITISH AUTUMN LANDSCAPES
From the rolling hills of the Brecon Beacons to the still waters in the Lake District, these photographs capture autumnal landscapes across Great Britain perfectly .
SEXY TRAFFIC GIRLS OF NORTH KOREA
WITH their robotic movements and pristine uniforms, these are the sexy traffic girls of North Korea that are becoming iconic figures in the secretive state .