Britain's biggest private collection of flags - including every country in the world

Grandfather Alex Adlam is the proud keeper of Britain's biggest private collection of flags, which he stores in his Cheltenham bungalow.

Alex has an incredible 680 flags - including every country in the world, all the US states and each English county.

He also has four flagpoles at his home, and flies different flags every day.

Alex's wife also joins in with his obsession, updating a daily notice board with details and fun facts about the banners flying that day.

The retired painter and decorator's hoard is only bettered in Britain by The National Maritime Museum's collection.

He estimates he has spent around £4,000 over the past 12 years - and he isn't stopping there.

He said: "I keep buying more, I'm very passionate about my flags. I now have to look for unusual ones as I have got all the common ones."

"I'd always had an interest in geography and history and that lends itself to taking an interest in flags so I got a pole and started to buy a few."

"It's a subject that's absolutely wonderful - it's an education to me. What are they depicting?"

"I like to get the flags up by 6:30am every day after I feed the cats. I then take them down around 8pm, depending on the time of year."

Mr Adlam said the display has attracted a great deal of interest over the years - but he says he has never had anyone say anything negative.

He also has a suggestion box in which residents to leave a request for a particular flag to be flown.

He said: "One woman put four names of flags down just the other day - I happened to have three but didn't have the city of Amsterdam one. I've ordered it for her."

"I think my rarest - and favourite - is a 48-star American flag. I think it was awarded to the Post Office in Bristol after the Second World War. It was used from 1912 to 1959."

"If I put that on eBay I could get a lot of money but I'm not tempted. I love my own crest of arms, too."