Is this Preston's quirkiest house?

The front and back gardens at the home of Shane and Carol I’Anson in Fishwick Parade are filled with an array of odds and ends thanks to Shane’s dedication to turning his life around.

A self-titled “professional villain”, former bin man Shane turned his attention to collecting and repairing ornaments a decade ago after being sick of prison life.

The 71-year-old said: “I came out of prison and said ‘sod this’. I was sick of staring at the cell’s four walls. I wanted to change my ways.”

The Liverpool native added: “I wasn’t too bad at restoring things and one of my neighbours brought some statues down in pieces and I said ‘I can fix that’.

“Then I started fetching all sorts from local churches to fix up before doing my own.”

The last decade has seen him and wife Carol, who have been together for 21 years, form their own private collection while still fixing anything that people bring their way.

Shane said: “I am a sucker for details and making things look right. The neighbours said they love it.”

His creations have led to quite a few people interested in buying from his personal collection, including his Rocky Balboa statue found in a scrap yard, but Shane says they aren’t for sale.

“It’s my personal collection; what’s in the garden is for us,” he explained.