VILLAGERS at Newton-upon-Rawcliffe were treated to fireworks with a twist when John 'Doctor Doom' Mills set off a display from the back of his bicycle.

John has been doing this funky fireworks display for several years now, but vowed to go out with a bang for this, his last year.

"It all started four years ago as a silly idea that I just did in front of about 20 people as they were leaving the village bonfire," he explained. "It really caught on and this year there were about 200 people watching.

John attached fireworks and Catherine wheels to the back of his bike and sparklers to the spokes and to his hat, and whizzed past the watching crowd and around the village pond.

"The difficult thing is getting it lit," he said, "but once I have, it is fairly safe because the fireworks are all going off behind me."

Another villager, Julian 'Fire Jules' Pells, decided to join in this year by juggling with fireworks on chains.

However, John thinks that for him, now is the right time to call it a day. "The trouble is you want to make it better and better each year, and if I add any more to the display I'm afraid I might hurt myself or one of the spectators."

Updated: 11:30 Wednesday, November 12, 2003