A GRANDAD has got a burning passion for old fire extinguishers — having collected almost 350 of them.
Richard Mackey, 60, says his wife thinks he is “bonkers” for his hoard of vintage water shooters, which are insured for £20,000.
Richard has picked them up from across the country through the fire protection company he runs.
He said: “Each one has a story behind it.”
He spent £800 alone getting four from Glasgow, while another of his collection is more than 200 years old.
Favourites include the Waterloo — one of the first to have an internal cartridge — and one by Birmingham-based Valor.
His haul includes copper, brass, steel and plastic units that have come from as far afield as the US and Spain.
Richard, of Toddington, Beds, said: “I just like the uniqueness of them. They’re never going to be made again.
“The modern ones are rubbish by comparison.”
He said wife Jane “thinks I’m bonkers — but she quite enjoys polishing them”.
