A showman is fighting to rebuild his business after a freak gust of wind during storms destroyed his travelling stage show and traditional Romany wagons.

David Sanger is battling to save his livelihood following Storm Gareth which flipped his house wagon and blew part of another vehicle across fields.

The Sanger Stage Show is believed to be the UK's only horse-drawn travelling show and Mr Sanger, one of the country's last remaining performers, fears he will not be able to honour his bookings for carnivals and shows across Kent in the summer.

The 56-year-old, whose family built the original seafront attractions in Margate which is now Dreamland, says winds on Sunday destroyed the stage and sent parts of a 1920s baker's wagon he was repairing flying across the land.

The winds also smashed a window in the bus he lives in on land near Woodchurch in Thanet.

He says he is already facing a bill for at least £1,000 to replace the stage wagon to get his show back on the road and fix a traditional gypsy caravan he built himself after it was blown over just two days later.

Mr Sanger said: "I was sitting in the bus and it wasn't that windy and this gust just came out of nowhere. It was quiet and still and then out of nowhere there was this big boom. I thought the bus was going over and then the window went through.

"I've had six people here helping me clean up.

"I was devastated and made loads of phone calls to get people here to help. We tied a rope to the wheel and pulled the house wagon back up. I've got to take the top to pieces and rebuild it."

He has been working as a showman for 40 years and is well known in Kent and across the south east for his Victorian themed traditional show, which he has brought into the 21st century with a solar-powered light and laser show.

Mr Sanger told KentOnline it has been a difficult winter after not being asked to build a wagon for anyone this year which is usually his income for the off-season when he is not performing.

"The theatre wagon is done. It's not rebuildable, it's smashed to bits so I'll have to buy a new one," he said.

"I've probably got enough money for the stage and that will be the priority as that's my income. I'm the last Sanger running a show like this.

"I do processions of my own and try to have one up the street with all the horses like they would do when they came into town."

He has led the Margate Carnvial in the past but his first booking is at the end of April and he is also due to lead the procession at the Whitstable Carnival in August.

"If I'm not back on my feet by then there's seriously something wrong," he said.

"I've had a great bit of support so far but if people would like to donate to my Paypal that would be great."

The Sanger family built the Hall by the Sea and Pleasure Gardens in Margate in the early 1900s and David's great uncle 'Lord' George Sanger - said to be the inspiration behind Hollywood blockbuster The Greatest Showman - ran the venue before it was sold to become what is now Dreamland.

Mr Sanger returned to Thanet in 2015 to formally reopen the attraction after walking 300 miles with a full Victorian circus behind him and performing six shows across southern England before staying in the area.

He is appealing for any donations and a GoFundMe page is running to raise cash to support him reaching £1,675 already. Mr Sanger added donations can be sent to his Paypal account davidjohnsanger@yahoo.co.uk

Read more: All the latest news from Thanet