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
COLOURFUL KINGFISHERS DIVE FOR THEIR DINNER
A kingfisher’s bright blue and orange feathers glisten in the sunlight as the bird dives into a lake .
THE WORLD'S MOST UNUSUAL HOTEL COMPLEX
AN underground HOBBIT motel inspired by JRR Tolkien is just one of the unique places to stay at the world's most unusual hotel complex .
ADORABLE SQUIRRELS PREPARE FOR EASTER BREAK
Scurrying along the branch of a tree, a little squirrel pushes a pram packed full of Easter treats .
SCUBA-DUPER DIVER BREAKS RECORD FOR 50 HOURS UNDERWATER
A British diver has set a new world record for the longest warm water scuba dive by spending a mammoth 49 hours and 56 minutes under water .
POLAR BEAR PLAY
WITH SNOW COVERING the ground around them, these two polar bears play fight .
BOY, 6, ALMOST BLIND AFTER ONE-IN-MILLION ALLERGIC REACTION
A six-year-old boy has been left almost blind after a one-in-a-million allergic reaction to antibiotics .
LOOK, NO HANDS! MAN CONTROLS VEHICLE USING HIS BRAIN
A Birmingham man inspired by sci-fi film Wall-E, has created a one- wheeled vehicle, controlled by signals from his BRAIN .
THE BEAUTIFUL MOSQUE OF COLOURS
As sunlight cascades through its vibrant stained glass windows, every inch of the Nasir-ol-Mulk Mosque bursts with colour .
UNLIKELY PLAYMATES: BRAVE CHICKS PLAY WITH A PYTHON
A pair of chicks bravely decided to befriend a python, despite being the snake's favourite choice of food .
PARROT RIDES ON THE TUBE
Pic By HotSpot Media - PARROT RIDES ON THE TUBE - THIS pretty boy could be forgiven for forgetting his Oyst-aaarrrgh-card .
REAL LIFE DOLLS HOUSE
Ever wished you could live in a house just like Barbie's? Canadian sculptor Heather Benning has created the life-size dollhouse of her dreams out a derelict building .
CEMETERY FINES
A COUNCIL has come under fire for slapping fines on people’s GRAVESTONES for breaching petty regulations on pot plants .