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
THE MILLION DOLLAR CARAVAN

A luxury caravan with a price tag of ONE MILLION DOLLARS is due to hit the road later this year .

ARTIST TURNS DAUGHTER'S DOODLES INTO WORKS OF ART

THIS UNUSUAL collaboration between a mother and her two-year-old daughter makes for some stunning works of art .

DARK DISNEY

THESE are the Disney Princesses you wouldn't want to run into in a dark alley .

WOMAN TRANSFORMS HERSELF INTO CARTOON CHARACTERS USING PAINT

A makeup artist from the West Midlands magically transforms herself into famous cartoon characters using body paint .

RING OF FIRE ECLIPSE IN OZ

THIS RING of fire in the sky is the annular solar eclipse that wowed our cousins down-under .

UNUSUAL PUB AND BARBERS

A unique business in Birkenhead, Merseyside is sure to leave you HALF-CUT with its unusual pub and barbers combination .

WOMAN'S LIFE-CHANGING OP AFTER THREE BOTCHED NOSE JOBS

A woman who had three botched nose jobs finally feels pretty after forking out £8 .

MINI BONZAI MODELS - TREE-MENDOUS

These are the fascinating pictures of miniature table sculptures molded around bonsai trees that take up to a painstaking 18 months to create .

STUNNING AURORA BOREALIS REFLECTED IN ICELAND

CONTRACT CANCELLED, DO NOT SYNDICATE .

TWO SALVATION ARMY STAFF SUSPENDED OVER RAPE HELP REFUSAL

A good samaritan who came to the aid of a rape victim has told how they were turned away from the Salvation Army because "they only help men" .

SEXUALLY ABUSED AT 9 BY GRANDAD

A survivor of abuse has bravely waived her anonymity to tell how she was sexually assaulted from the age of nine - by her depraved grandad .

BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES CAPTURED ACROSS EUROPE

From the crisp, snow clad mountains to vivid bright blue rivers, these breath-taking photographs capture the incredible beauty of various landscapes across France and Italy .