Meet the grandad who has spent 25 years transforming his back garden into a - Wild West 'town'.

Stephen Smart's Dude Ranch includes a saloon, jailhouse, bank, haberdashery and even an undertakers at the rear of his semi-detached home in Sheppey, Kent.

The 65-year-old has long been fascinated with the films starring the likes of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne, which inspired him to construct his very own old-style town.

But, despite his Wild West obsession, he's never actually been to America.

Mr Smart - who's also known simply as 'Dude' - began modelling his property, which now resembles a Hollywood film set, on the American frontier period around 25 years ago.

A retired lorry driver, he said: "I just had a fascination for the Wild West.

"It started with country music, then looking up the time period and then I started going to a few themed parties.

“I wanted somewhere to go basically, so I built the town. It's not a normal garden.

"It started with little buildings and then the saloon and then it just took off from there.”

Despite claiming he's no carpenter, dad-of-four Mr Smart has handcrafted all the convincing Wild West buildings in his garden.

The front of his home is similarly decked out with a graveyard, old wagon wheels, swinging saloon doors and a sign welcoming visitors to the Dude Ranch more suited to 19th-century Kansas than 21st-century Kent.

Another of his hobbies is wooden sign making, any profits from which he puts towards making improvements to his town.

Mr Smart said: “I’m adding to it all the time, making things, there is always something to do.

"From the front, I think it looks good and people say it looks good.

"People come and knock on the door and ask if they can take photos and I'll say to them, ‘If you want you can come and look at the garden as well’.

“So they do and they're just fascinated. They just can't believe that they're going into a garden which is built like this.”

Luckily for Mr Smart, wife Denise is very understanding of her husband's hobby.

The couple even had their wedding reception in the Dude Ranch garden.

And though his current neighbours don't mind his obsessive hobby, Mr Smart says previous neighbours haven't always been so supportive.

"My wife is great," Mr Smart said. "I met her when I was already into all of this so she just gets that it is my hobby.

“Nowadays I do get on with my neighbours but previously, before they moved out, I did have a neighbour who always reported me.

“But now everyone in the area knows me. My kids think I’m stupid and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I love it here.”

The back garden boasts a livery, a general store, a marshal's office, an old shack, barbers, a jailhouse, a bank, a haberdashery, an undertakers and the centrepiece saloon - which provides the perfect setting for parties.

Mr Smart said: "We’ve had parties and everything in the saloon, lots of them, including my daughter's 16th and my wife's 50th.