A roofer says his collection of around 40 vintage bumper cars which is set to appear on television is “a hobby that got out of hand”.

Peter Ward often leaves bystanders confounded when they see him driving down the street at the wheel of a dodgem.

He has been spotted along Minster Leas, taking a test spin at Dickens Inn in Eastchurch and even trying to get served at the McDonald’s drive-through in Sheerness.

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Peter said: “If you go to any other seafront they have got their dodgems all closed off in a ring. But us on Sheppey, we do things a bit differently. Ours are on the loose.

“I get them, clean them up, and seeing them roll out of the garage with the lights on and with a bit of a shine and a polish – it’s a bit like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang I suppose, when the car comes flying out of the garage, that’s how it feels.

Although only six of the rides have been given electric motors Peter says all of them will get the same treatment eventually.

But how do they drive?

“It’s quite a nice ride actually,” says the dad-of-two.

“They don’t do more than 4 mph and I can do 16 miles on one charge. As soon as you take your foot off the pedal they stop so there’s no danger to the public.”

He sticks to the pavement but admits he has been pulled over by the police three times, not due to speeding, but rather the curiosity of officers asking him how they operate.

The 53-year-old has also installed a 50cc two stroke engine into a Postman Pat van from an old children’s ride and it now reaches speeds of 40mph.

His exploits have also made him a YouTube star with the 24 videos on his channel documenting his antics each clocking up hundreds of views.

Peter, from Salmon Crescent, Minster, began his collection a year ago for “a bit of fun and something different” and because no one else seemed to be doing it.

Video: Meet the man who's devoted to dodgems

He admits he loves seeing the look on people’s faces when he drives past.

Many ask him how it works and he even lets some have a go.

“It just makes their day,” he said. “It’s fun giving people enjoyment and the other thing is when you get these things they’re all beaten up, they’ve been neglected and they’ve just been laying in someone’s yard for years.

“If you want to turn heads you could buy a Ferrari or something but you can’t buy one of these because they’re rare – that’s the difference.”

Mr Ward’s fleet will feature on Channel 4 prime time programme Posh Pawn, either at the end of the month or in November.

It will also appear on the BBC for the reopening of Dreamland in Margate.

He hopes to one day turn his labour of love into a business opportunity by possibly using them in adverts.

Most of the dodgems date back to the 1960s and ‘70s and Mr Ward sources them mainly through fairgrounds and various websites, although he now receives lots of calls from sellers after building a name for himself in the world of amusements memorabilia.