Christmas-mad dad, 58, who has decorated every inch of his home with lights for 18 years, vows he will never stop with his eye-catching displays despite rising costs

A Christmas-mad dad has vowed he will never stop decorating every inch of his home with eye-catching displays, despite rising costs.

Paul Bibby, 58, will have to pay at least £300 on December's electricity bill for the 30,000 light show at his home in Chelmsford, Essex.

People from all over Britain and even South Africa have been coming for the past 18 years to get a glimpse of the extravagant exhibition, which this year includes an 8-foot gingerbread man, a nutcracker and a Christmas tree.

He also covered the house with a blow-up Santa Claus, penguin, polar bear and a 6-foot reindeer and dog.

The full-time carer of his 36-year-old son Aaron – who helps him with the 45-minute task of inflating the inflatable props every morning – is raising money for the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance and hopes this year's exhibition will boost his fundraising will destroy record of £1,500.

People from all over the UK and even South Africa have come for the past 18 years to catch a glimpse of the extravagant display

Mr Bibby lives with his son and partner Linda Cummings, 60, and said rising electricity costs will not stop him installing 70,000 lights.

“When I do my house every year, it's like a puzzle,” he said. 'It's a lot of work for one person, but I enjoy doing it.

'Last year the costs for electricity amounted to more than €300,- for lighting alone. This time it might be even more, but that would never deter me.

'People will think I'm crazy, but I'm doing it for a good cause, in a year I might need them.'

Mr Bibby started the tradition in December 2005 with a single string of lights and it gets bigger and better every year.

This year he added four sets of new icicle lights and a ten-foot snowman.

He said: 'I tie them to my car with a string, it's fine if there's no wind.'

Turning on the light show requires 90 switches, which, combined with inflating each inflatable, can take about 35 minutes each day.

This year the exhibition consists of an eight-foot gingerbread man, a nutcracker and a Christmas tree. He also covered the house with a blow-up Santa Claus, penguin, polar bear and a 6-foot reindeer and dog

The full-time carer of his 36-year-old son Aaron – who helps him with the 45-minute task of blowing up the inflatable props every morning – is raising money for Essex & Herts Air Ambulance

He will have to pay at least £300 on December's electricity bill for the 30,000-light and 70,000-light display.

Mr Bibby lives with his son and partner Linda Cummings, 60, and said rising electricity costs will not stop him switching on the lights

Mr Bibby started the tradition in December 2005 with a single string of lights and it gets bigger and better every year

Turning on the light show requires 90 switches, which, combined with inflating each inflatable object, can take approximately 35 minutes each day

Mr Bibby previously decorated his home with English flags (left) for the Euro final against Italy in 2021 and for the King's coronation this year he put up 100 Union Jacks (right)

His festive efforts ensure that people from miles away come to visit his house.

He said: “I get people from Harlow visiting, they say it's amazing and they've never seen anything like it.

'I've even had people from South Africa come to Britain to see the lights.

'But I do my lights every year and I don't even care what the cost is because people love it and it's a good cause.

'People around here probably think I'm crazy, but I like doing it because I just want to make people happy.

“I'll keep going until I'm too old to climb the ladder.”

Mr Bibby previously decorated his home with more than 100 Union Jacks to celebrate the King's coronation and as a mark of respect for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.