FRED Dibnah has spoken about his three-year battle against cancer for the first time - and revealed that he has stopped his chemotherapy treatment.

Instead, the celebrity steeplejack said he wanted to enjoy what time he had left and had swapped his medication for a diet of Guinness and coffee.

The 66-year-old TV personality was diagnosed with bladder cancer three years ago and has had a kidney removed and several courses of chemotherapy.

The steam enthusiast told the Bolton Evening News that he would rather enjoy what time he has left at full fitness without the sickness caused by chemotherapy.

He said: "I feel good at the moment. People have been saying 'this will be his last chimney' for years - even before the cancer. To put the record straight, if a chimney came up tomorrow, I would still do it!

"The chemo is not doing any good so what's the point in poisoning yourself? I feel good now and when I was having treatment I felt awful - I sank to such a low ebb.

"I make my own decisions and this is one I am happy with. I'll just stick to the Guinness and coffee thanks."

The father-of-six, who has been married three times, was made an MBE in the New Year's Honours. He has recently signed up for a 12-part series with the BBC. The cameras will be following him as he tours the UK on his 1912 tractor - and he is determined to see it through.

"I have 12 to do and I will do them. It's hard work, sometimes we are filming from 6am to 9pm, but I enjoy it.

"Also I still have to meet the Queen and collect my MBE in July, so I'm going nowhere yet.

"I'm happy that if I dropped dead tomorrow I would still have done three times what most people do in their lifetime."

Fred is in the process of appealing against a planning decision which ruled he could not build a working Victorian mineshaft at his Radcliffe Road home in the Hough.

The star has already started work on the project to drill a 70ft mineshaft in the back garden of his home and a 90ft tunnel to the banks of the River Tonge.

Bolton Council's planning committee refused permission for the development earlier this year after hearing residents' fears that they would be swamped by visitors.