‘Britain’s dullest man’ has a £5,000 tea collection despite not drinking it

A dad dubbed 'Britain's dullest bloke' has a collection of PG Tips boxes worth a whopping £5,000 - even though he doesn't even drink the stuff.

A brew might not be his cup of tea, but David Hart, 56, has bizarrely had a lifelong obsession with the UK brand.

He proudly displays his 500-strong collection of teabag boxes - which he has snapped up from auction sites, charity shops and eBay - in a giant cabinet, much to his wife's displeasure.

Long-suffering Charlotte, 57, complains that their home is plagued by a lingering 'smell' of tea - but their two kids find David's hobby 'hilarious'.

He said: "When a package arrives at the door, they say 'I bet it's more teabags', they think it's funny.

"I don't actually drink tea that much. I'm a bit more of a mint and chamomile tea drinker.

"My wife puts up with it. She can't stand the smell but I don't think it's that bad. We've been married for 31 years so she puts up with it."

The things we do for love, eh?

Kennedy

His collection might land him in hot water with his missus, but the dad has no plans on stopping his 'time capsule' of tea bags.

The graphic designer explained: "I do realise it's bizarre.

"I'm more than happy to be called Britain's dullest man - it really doesn't bother me, I'll wear the badge with honour.

"I do know there's other collections out there but I don't think they go into the detail of packaging that I do."

David, from Denton, Greater Manchester, admits his prized possessions might be unexciting to most, but revealed that his PG Tips passion goes all the way back to his childhood.

He first became fixated at the age of six, when he started collecting tea cards which were hidden inside the boxes.

David then graduated on to packets of PG Tips produced from the 1930s up until the 1990s.

He explained: "So it's kind of a blast from the past for me, it takes me back.

Kennedy

"The first set I collected was 1973. School teachers would actually pass me tea cards in the playground because they knew I collected them, which is a lovely memory.

"Years later I went to an antique fair and saw a 1970s packet of PG Tips on one of the stalls and thought 'wow I remember those'.

"So I purchased it as a sort of memento because it transported me back to my childhood.

"When I brought it home, I thought 'I wonder if I can find any more?' then I was hooked, I started looking everywhere."

David's collection has continued to balloon over the years and his admits it has now become an 'obsession' he doesn't think he will ever grow out of.

Kennedy

"It's been a 50-year hobby for me on and off. Even in the years I've not collected, it's always been there," he added.

After half a century, Charlotte has finally started getting used to the apparently pungent smell of tea bags.

She laughed: "It only smells when I open the cupboard but it's not that strong."

David is urging anyone who discovers any more PG Tips tea packets to get in touch to help expand his collection - presumably vintage ones rather than the ones on supermarket shelves.