MOUNTAIN bikes, old records and the odd rusty paint pot are some of the items you might expect to see competing for space with a car in the average garage.

That is unless you are Lyndon Stephens from Ebbw Vale who is constructing a 9 ft high and 7 ft wide pipe organ in his humble garage.

The 53-year-old pipe organ enthusiast from Holland Street, Ebbw Vale, embarked upon the project so he could practice playing in the confines of his mercifully detached home.

After being made redundant in 2002 when the Ebbw Vale steelworks closed, the former metallurgical shift specialist also wanted to use his garage to showcase his organ-building talents to prospective buyers.

In his early retirement, Mr Stephens is now looking to divert more of his time into an interest of playing and constructing pipe organs that first manifested around 30 years ago.

Ever since he has visited churches all over the country salvaging parts from old and unwanted pipe organs in order to restore and rebuild them to order.

"I've built around a dozen or more organs since starting in my early 20's and I have found that once you get the craze you can't stop," said Mr Stephens. "It is just something that keeps me busy in my retirement."

Among his most impressive work is the pipe organ he constructed for St Mary's church in Brynmawr around ten years ago which has pipes standing 18 foot.

On his more compact, garage-sized instrument, Mr Stephens added: "It's a special kind of organ that fits in without having to cut it down.

"It only needs one third of the number of pipes a normal one would require.

"As well as using it to practice, I thought if anybody would like an organ built then it would be good to have it in the garage so they could see the standard of my work.

"I've had to cut some of the front pipes down to get it into the garage because it was that big - put it this way, there is not much room to spare now!"