Man builds underground bunker in garden

A madcap inventor has built an underground lair in his back garden.

The 10ft (3m) deep "apocalyptic bunker" created by Colin Furze measures 16ft by 20ft (4.9m by 6m) and is accessed via a hidden hatch in his shed.

Mr Furze, a 36-year-old former plumber from Stamford in Lincolnshire, has kitted out the concrete-covered den with a flat-screen TV, drum-kit and several video consoles.

He said the "ultimate man cave" had been a childhood ambition.

The bunker, which is covered in 16 cubic metres of concrete, is a "fully functional" room complete with a kitchen and "party area".

It took Mr Furze two months to construct with the help of a friend and three-year-old son Jake.

"It's a metal box in a hole - if you can weld and cut bits of metal then you can make one - the actual mechanics of it is quite simple, but it's a huge project," Mr Furze said.

The inventor, who has almost 1.7 million YouTube subscribers for his videos, is the brains behind a variety of unusual creations, including an ejector bed, vacuum-cleaner shoes and "the world's fastest pram".

"This bunker is like my adult version of what I used to do as a child in a quarry near where I lived," he said.

"This has been a proper dream to build."

The plumber-turned-filmmaker said he had threatened his partner, who is expecting their second child, that "I'm in the bunker" if their baby does not sleep through the night.

"People have ideas, but don't have time to make them and that's where I come in," added Mr Furze, who describes himself as the "most famous inventor you've never heard of".

"I'm dedicating my life to making stuff we all want to see."

Speaking about his latest creation, which in the event of an apocalypse is kitted out with a variety of "weird self-defence" gadgets, he said: "If I do turn into an internet super-villain, it's my hideout and lair.

"If there's a massive disaster, it's there to be used, but in the meantime it's a set for more videos."