Simon's snow sculptures at Walsall home are cool

But as snow covered the region this week, Simon Patel rejoiced in having a new medium to work with – and braved the chill to create these impressive snow sculptures.

A snow train and Castle Greyskull from 1980s cartoon He-Man all now adorn the garden of his Walsall home after hours of hard work.

At nearby school playing fields, a snow Eskimo complete with fishing rod stands proud. But while 36-year-old Mr Patel was the creative driving force behind the sculptures, neighbours in Primley Avenue, Alumwell, played their part bringing him wheelbarrows full of snow to work with.

Watched by his sons Dylan, aged six and Dev, four, Mr Patel spent nine hours working on the train alone, nipping into his home every so often to warm up his frost-bitten fingers.

"Making the sculptures didn't take too long really," he said.

"It was collecting the snow that took the most time. The children were helping and there was a boy who had come from Essington to visit his nan who lives around here, he spent the day collecting snow for me. The neighbours were coming along with wheelbarrows and buckets of snow for me to use."

The snow sculptures have drawn a lot of interest, not just on Mr Patel's Facebook site but in person too. He has even been woken up in the early hours of the morning by flashing cameras from passers-by, with even police officers stopping to take a look.

"There's been so much interest in the sculptures, loads of people have knocked on my door and asked about it," he said. "I don't mind people coming to have a look at all."