A man fed up of drivers parking on a verge outside his home has erected a garden fence with tiny spikes hidden inside to puncture tyres. Kevin Pringle, 64, patented his product to keep car drivers from damaging grass verges at his house in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

Kevin said he had been repeatedly relaying the ground with top soil and grass seed after cars left "muddy trenches" on his grass in the quiet cul-de-sac. The picket style Smart Fence has secret spikes which activate when a car hits them, slowly deflating tyres. It acts in the same way as a police-used stinger.

The retiree suggested his invention could be used by councils to stop illegal traveller encampments setting up on grassland and cricket pitches - or by estates, schools and hotels.

Kevin said: "The quality of driving and parking has without a doubt gotten worse in recent years. Section 34 of the Road Traffic Act says its an offence to drive anywhere other a designated carriageway, but you see illegal parking everywhere.

"Because nothing is done about it, people don't care and I don't understand why they don't realise the effect they're having."

He said that when he searched for solutions, the only suggestion he found was to place large boulders around the edge.

Kevin explained: "While this does deter vandals, since they know they'll risk damaging their vehicle, it creates two new problems - it makes lawn care much harder and the boulders themselves are not very attractive.

"I became determined to find an answer that would both keep the verge tidy and make maintenance easier."

Kevin said he spent three years researching different designs as he wanted to make sure his fence wouldn't pose a risk to others.

While looking at ways to make the spikes "disappear", he realised they also needed protecting. He explained: "The plastic fence covers the spikes and the only way to expose them is with enough weight on top to break the plastic fencing.

"The plastic will break along the perforations exposing the fence supports which are hollow tubes with a chamfered top edge.

"This means if an attempt is made to use a motor vehicle to vandalise a lawn or verge the driver will no longer be able to just drive away leaving the damage for the landowner to repair."

Kevin said the spikes and fence can be lifted out of the ground to allow people to cut their grass as only a base plate sits at ground level.

He added: "If I try and jimmy your backdoor with a screwdriver and it breaks, you don't have to pay me for damages. Tearing up a garden is criminal damage. If you're committing criminal damage and you damage your tools such as a car, it is your responsibility."

A Milton Keynes highways spokesperson said: "Under the law, items can't be placed on public highway land without the proper authorisation. Items may only be placed on the highway where the appropriate permissions have been granted and suitable safety measures are in place to protect all road users."