A grandad hopes to be stepping into the record books with the world's largest collection of LEG-themed treasures.

David Bennett, 84, has spent more than a decade and £6,000 of his life-savings trawling flea markets and antique fairs for pocket-sized lower limbs.

The retired accountant bought his first leg item in 2009 after stumbling across it in an antique shop but now has steadily added more than 170 pieces to his collection.

His stash of legs is crammed into display cabinets which he keeps in his home in Derby with the most expensive item being a silver match vesta worth £200.

David, who calls himself a 'microtibialist', plans to offer his collection to the Guinness World Records in a bid to be officially recognised for his obsession.

The bizarre array of trinkets features legs made from ivory and wood with the oldest piece in his collection, a pipe tamper, dating back to 1780.

David, who has two grown-up children and one grandchild, said: "When I retired I wanted a hobby.

"I’ve always been a collector, one sort or another. I wanted something different.

"I saw a couple of legs available at an antique fair at the NEC show. I bought the two, they were just pipe tampers. My wife had a leg shaped nail file, and then off we went.

"I'm on 170 now. It's difficult to find two that are different. I don’t like to buy the same.

"I've discovered that this is a rather tricky hobby because you have to hunt hard to find different pieces but I do relish the challenge.

"I’ve bought one piece this year and just three last year but I firmly believe there must be hundreds out there, it's just a matter of knowing where to look for them.

"My main market are antique markets. I still go to the fairs too. I also go online and ask people to let me know if there know of any unusual leg-themed artefacts.

"I had seen things like nutcrackers in a leg shape. It was just I want to collect something different, there’s no particular reason for it.

"There’s always something else.

"The criteria is that I should be able to put it in my pocket. There’s nothing over five inches in length.

"I keep them in an engineers toolbox that I keep everything in and I use dividers to keep them apart.

"I would’ve thought the average price is £30 a time so I've spent around £6,000 in total so far but they are worth every penny.

"Each item has a story behind it for me on how I found it, where I travelled to buy it and then there is often a story behind the piece themselves.

"Antique hunting is about people and bartering and it's exciting when you find something you weren't even aware existed until you set eyes on it.

"When I watch Bargain Hunt they always look for something a bit different. What it is is what it is. I’ve got a pair of a wooden nutcrackers that I bought for £200."

David, who is married to wife Mary, 80, admits his hobby is niche but says he's unfazed by people's opinions when it comes to his collection.

He said: "I have never ever come across anybody who had heard about what I’m doing.

"My wife is very supportive but sometimes worries how big the collection could get.

"Mary is a great help. She's always looking for legs with me. She'll often find ones that I've missed in a pile, she's good like that. She's luckily quite understanding.

"I’ve never heard of anyone having a collection like mine. I would certainly say I’m the only collector in the UK, maybe the world but it's a big place and I'm not sure.

"If you keep your eyes open they are out there, they are few and far between.

"I really like the attention I get sometimes. When I appeared on the Antique Roadshow a couple of years ago the crowd giggled when they introduced as 'the leg man'.

"To be sure I've got the world's biggest collection I'm going to carry on adding to the legs I've already got for a few months and then I'm going to contact the Guinness Book of Records."