A man obsessed with looking like a parrot endured a six-hour operation to cut off his ears and now he wants to turn nose into a beak.

Mr Richards is keeping tight-lipped about who carried out the six hour operation, but insists he is "happier than ever," and has even now got himself a girlfriend.

Ted Richards, 56, is obsessed by pets Ellie, Teaka, Timneh, Jake and Bubi and has his face tattooed with colourful feathers.

He shared a funny story: “I went to the supermarket the other day and when I went in I said ‘blimey it’s so windy out there it blew my ears off and everybody had a chuckle.

Ted, who has 110 tattoos, 50 piercings and a split tongue, is happy to put his body on the line as a visual tribute to his beloved parrots.

Eccentric Mr Richards has given his severed ears to a friend who "will appreciate them".

Marc Pacifico, a consultant plastic surgeon and member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, slammed the surgery. He said: “I am absolutely horrified to learn that someone has voluntarily put themselves forward for this to be done and possibly more so that he found somebody to actually carry it out.

Since undergoing the operation the only issue has been keeping his glasses in place - so he has had two small metal pins added to the side of his head.

Mr Richards, a retired shoe factory worker, got his first tattoo in 1976 and has since built up a collection covering almost his entire body. He said: "I think it looks really great. I love it. It's the best thing that has happened to me.