WHEN Sidmouth resident John Dyson heard about the most difficult jigsaw puzzle in the world, he decided he wanted to tackle it himself.

WHEN Sidmouth resident John Dyson heard about the most difficult jigsaw puzzle in the world, he decided he wanted to tackle it himself.

He was given the �100, 18,000 piece Jungle Scenes Ravensburger puzzle for Christmas by his two sons, began it in May "when the mornings got lighter" and this week completed the 10 feet by six feet four-picture puzzle.

John, a member of Sidmouth Town Council, said: "It was finished by one other person last year. As soon as I saw he had done it I decided to make a New Year's resolution to do it.

"When he completed it only two other people in the world had done it."

The puzzle has been constructed in sections in a guest room at his Manor Road home.

"I spent two hours in the morning, from 7am to 9am, doing it before my wife was up," said John.

"I did many mornings like that and found the time in and around other jobs I do, either as a councillor or for the folk festival.

"When we had people to stay I had to stop for a week or so."

The puzzle depicts four scenes with lots of animals in the jungle, but it wasn't the pictures that gave the puzzle its title of hardest to complete.

"There is a dark green border around the pictures and they were the most difficult pieces. There were over 2,000 all the same colour," said John, who became a jigsaw buff when he came to Sidmouth 15 years ago and stayed in a flat with a bay window, which offered good daylight with which to do puzzles.

"I took one or two down from home to do and when I had quiet times it became a habit and I got going with bigger jigsaws.

"I have done six and 9,000 piece ones, and regularly do double-sided ones, but this is the first 18,000 piece jigsaw I have done."

And now it is finished, what will he do with that spare time?

"I will go running again and enjoy myself getting fit, which I have not done for the last three months.