A puzzle fanatic is celebrating after slotting in the final piece of gigantic jigsaw following 350 hours of painstakingly building up the intricate picture.

Ian Browncey, a 43-year-old sheet metal worker from Yeovil, set himself the challenge to complete the 18,200-piece jigsaw after the world's biggest puzzle, which stands at 24,000 pieces, had sold out.

Mr Browncey said: "I ordered it off the Internet in London and it was the biggest one I could find.

"Now I have finished it, I want to do the world's biggest one. I just like doing puzzles and it gave me something to do."

Mr Browncey's love of jigsaws started 15 years ago when he completely a 10,000-piece puzzle but he now hopes to move on to become one of the world's top puzzlers: "I am over the moon I have finally done it as it was a big personal challenge.

"A couple of times, when there were a load of green pieces around the border which were all the same shapes, I thought I could not complete it. But apart from that, I enjoyed it all."

Mr Browncey sat down in his conservatory to start the jigsaw in the first week of June and set about trying to unravell the picture.

He spent three hours every weekday and all day Saturdays on it, taking Sunday off as a rest day to go fishing.

Three months later the completed puzzle, which shows a jungle scene with leopards, flowers and a monkey as well as birds, a parrot in a water fountain and fish, now holds pride of place in his living room.

Mr Browncey said: "I don't know what to do with myself in the evenings now, and am already getting itchy feet to do another one."

And Mr Browncey's wife Patsy, 41, also played her part in the triumph by fitting in the occasional piece.

She said: "I don't know how he had the patience to do it. I was getting fed up with it.

"Everyone is amazed at how he can just sit there and do it, but we are all very pleased for him obviously.

Mr Browncey may be aiming high but he still has a long way to go before he will beat the world record.