The garden shed of one of Marlborough’s oldest residents has been declared a no-go area for the rest of the summer after a colony of wasps built its nest on the back of the door.

Ex policeman Bill Huzzey, 96, who lives in Vicarage Close, said a neighbour had spotted the wasps buzzing in and out of the shed and, when one of his family opened the door, they found the football-sized nest.

The wasps have built their nest around garden tools stored on the door and attempts to go in the shed provoke an angry reaction from them.

Mr Huzzey has been largely confined to his home since falling and breaking a hip on New Year’s Eve.

He said: “Unfortunately I am not able to get out and about much and I miss seeing my old friends around the town.

“It means I am not able to do any gardening for the time being so I don’t have to go near the shed.”

He plans to leave the wasps alone. “I am not an advocate of destroying everything,” he said.