Shopping trips in a Green Goddess

The Green Goddess military fire engine weighs five tonnes

Driving to the local shop could turn a few heads for a south Wales woman, after she bought a Green Goddess military fire engine.

When Dawn Pritchard, from Wattsville near Risca, saw that five of the classic green machines were up for auction, she knew she had to have one.

She bid more than £3,000 for the 1950 Bedford engine, which came complete with hoses, siren and even the buckets.

The 50-year-old goddess still has only 4,000 miles on the clock.

Ms Pritchard now plans to use the five-tonne vehicle to raise money for charity.

"I knew I had to have her as soon as I saw her," said Ms Pritchard who runs a care home for adults with special needs with her partner Tony Edwards.

The petrol goddess was first registered in 1955 and the last time she was on active duty was in Derby during the 2002 firefighters' strike.

My normal run-around is a Nissan Micra so driving her will be a bit different Dawn Pritchard

It is one of 40 Green Goddesses being sold off as the Ministry of Defence updates its 1,000-strong fleet.

"She is beautiful," said Ms Pritchard. "When I heard that they were auctioning five of them at a local car auction I had to go along.

"It was the first auction I've been to and thankfully I was lucky enough to get the last one."

Ms Pritchard said that although she has yet to take to the wheel of the engine she has called Kitty, she is looking forward to seeing people's reaction when she does.

"My normal run-around is a Nissan Micra so driving her will be a bit different," she said.

Her partner Tony Edwards added: "I reckon there will be plenty of room in there for all the bags when we go to the supermarket in her!"

Because the Green Goddess is a Crown vehicle, anyone with a normal driving licence is allowed to drive her and she is exempt from MoT and tax.

Inside, the cabin of the engine is very basic

The five-tonne vehicle, which can hold another two tonnes of water, has a maximum speed of only 50mph and has none of the modern accessories that motorists might be used to.

"I'm really looking forward to having a go at driving her but she doesn't have power steering or anything, so will be a lot different to what I'm used to driving," said Ms Pritchard.

"I've been asked what I plan to do with her - someone even suggested I turn it into a novelty limousine but I don't think so - I want her to retire gracefully.

"I'm hoping we can take her to local events to try and raise money for charity though," she added.