A father has opened an Only Fools and Horses-themed barber shop in his back garden, after costs soared too high for him to maintain a high street store, and says the customers have been flooding in.

Nathan Scotford, 42, from Kent, closed his barber shop nine months ago and now runs Cushty Cuts in a specially-built cabin behind his Folkestone home.

He decided to move his business into his garden after costs skyrocketed by 30 per cent – meaning he would have to make over £2,000 each month before he could even turn over a profit.

The father-of-three decided this was unsustainable and so when a friend and long-time client suggested he move his business home, he thought he’d give it a go.

Mr Scotford said: ‘I was coming up to the end of a ten-year leasehold and needed to decide if I wanted to renew it.

Nathan Scotford, 42, from Kent, closed his barber shop nine months ago and now runs Cushty Cuts in a specially-built cabin behind his Folkestone home

He decided to move his business into his garden after costs skyrocketed by 30 per cent – meaning he would have to make over £2,000 each month before he could even turn over a profit

The father-of-three decided this was unsustainable and so when a friend and long-time client suggested he move his business home, he thought he’d give it a go

‘I thought about how bills were going up – and about how the area of Folkestone I was in, which used to be thriving, had been forgotten over the last few years. Bookings weren’t booming as much as they were before Covid.

‘So I decided it was time for a new project. First, I spent some time hiring out a chair in different barber shops – but when a long-time friend and client said I should just work from home, I thought, ‘why not?”

Mr Scotford built a special 3.6m x 3.6m cabin fitted with brand new electrics and insulation.

It is decorated with his large collection of Only Fools And Horses memorabilia – a show which he says ‘resonates’ with him and his family.

The barber said: ‘I wanted to provide the same service and ambience to my clients, simply in a different location.

Inside Nathan Scotford’s backyard cabin which he built to run his barber shop

It is decorated with his large collection of Only Fools And Horses memorabilia 

He says Only Fools and Horses is a show which he says ‘resonates’ with him and his family

A frame filled with autographed pictures of cast members from Only Fools and Horses

The barber said: ‘I wanted to provide the same service and ambience to my clients, simply in a different location’

Mr Scotford built a special 3.6m x 3.6m cabin fitted with brand new electrics and insulation

‘The cabin is like a mini house – with brand new electrics and insulation – and I’ve added something that resonates with me and my family with the Only Fools and Horses decorations.’

Business has been good so far as Mr Scotford has a loyal base of clients who have followed him in his new venture.

He said: ‘I don’t regret it at all. I absolutely love it.

‘I’ve kept my regular base of customers who have followed me over the last 25 years.

‘I couldn’t do any of this without them.

‘And I’ve got a 10 metre walk to work. So I’m doing my bit – keeping my commuting emissions down.

‘I’m just hoping to continue doing as I am and keep a cushty consistency.’