An Oxford man has spent £50,000 creating a unique campervan.

Daniel North has turned a German fire engine into a campervan, which he has named Helga.

Mr North said: "I've always wanted an overland vehicle."

This idea was created when his wife Lucy showed an interest in getting a campervan during lockdown in 2020.

They acquired Helga, a vintage German fire engine, which Mr North, 49, transformed into an overland vehicle.

The buying process involved a journey to Germany to get Helga and bring her back home.

Mr North made the journey with one day between the UK coming out of lockdown and Germany entering one.

He was joined by a local mechanic who drove his car while Mr North drove home the fire truck.

Mr North said the officials at the border were more intrigued by Helga's conversion mission than her sirens.

He said: "I've got no idea, even if they'd let me drive it back."

One he got the vehicle home, his wife said: "Oh, you actually meant it?"

Helga is the result of the culture of volunteer fire brigades in Germany, Holland, and Poland.

Some of these villages occasionally offer their fire trucks for sale.

Helga, capable of travelling at 60 to 65 mph, provided the vintage feel and modern practicality that Mr North sought.

The fire engine-to-campervan project amounted to a transformation cost of £50,000, after the vehicle had been bought for €5,700 by Mr North.

They rented a barn from a local farmer to store their supplies, allowing them to plan and arrange for the campervan's interiors.

Mr North described van project as being "different" from his day job in IT.

He said: "It's like a magnet for middle-aged men."

Its unique features include a lift-up bed, a retractable double bed from the ceiling, an open-air bar area and a hammock across the front of the cab.

Despite completing the project, Mr North said: "You never quite finish with something like this.".

His future plans include a folding boat with an electric outboard motor which he will attach to the truck.

Mr North foresees years of travel with Helga, with potential plans to rent out his house for more travelling.

The vehicle is due to be rented out on peer-to-peer rental platform Camplify.

Mr North added: "The journey continues, and with each mile, new stories are written, and dreams are realised."

For more information on camping, visit Camplify's website.