Nessie’s been my monster obsession for 50 years

HE has been fascinated by the mysterious monster since a visit to Loch Ness as a child and has spent decades searching for her.

Now the man who holds the world record for the longest continuous Nessie-hunting vigil has marked 50 years of obsession.

And Steve Feltham has no intention of giving up his search – despite having had only one possible glimpse of the monster.

The 57-year-old, pictured, celebrated the start of his 30th year of looking for Nessie full-time this month. It is also half a century since his first visit to Loch Ness, which sparked his lifelong fascination.

Mr Feltham said: ‘I feel so privileged to be able to dedicate my time to the adventure that I love.

‘I did think it would be slightly easier to solve than it has turned out to be, but there’s no rush.’

He left his job as a security camera fitter, his Dorset home and his girlfriend to set up home in a former mobile library on the banks of Loch Ness in July 1991.

After two years of patiently scanning the loch, he finally caught a glimpse of an unexplained disturbance in the water but did not have his camera to hand to capture the moment. He said: ‘You still hear of one or two good sightings a year and people are seeing interesting midwater contacts on sonar.’

Mr Feltham’s dedication led to a starring role in Monster Hunter, a short film by the Ridley Scott Creative Group.

Visiters to his mobile home have included Eric Idle, Robin Williams, Sir Billy Connolly and the Chinese State Circus.

He makes a living by creating models of the monster to sell to tourists.

He said: ‘I never came here to be a cottage industry. I came here to solve a mystery.’