THE colourful characters of Oxford have been captured in all their eccentric glory as part of an amateur photographer’s new book.

Paramedic Chris Porsz has roamed the streets of the city in several trips over the last six years - one of 25 places he visited collecting imagery for his book ‘Streets of Britain’.

Here are just some of the photos he took while in Oxford – a few of which have made the cut for the book.

Among the dons, buskers and protestors snapped, he even managed to capture the notoriously camera-shy figure of the woman known as the Botley Bag Lady, who died recently.

He said: “Oxford is such a historic place, I love the backgrounds and the buildings.

“I can roam from dusk until dawn and I never really know what I am looking for until I see it and I’ll keep returning until I find the right characters.

“It’s usually something surreal, bizarre, someone a bit eccentric who stands out from the madding crowd or everyday people caught up in some humorous interaction. I like bringing a smile to people’s faces.”

“There are hundreds of interactions that happen on the streets every day but you often walk on by.

“They say the whole world’s a stage and I just wait for the right characters to walk on set.”

Mr Porsz, 65, caught the photography bug after buying a camera when his first child Simon was born in 1978.

He began walking the streets of his home town of Peterborough for inspiration and quickly developed a passion for street photography. He later decided to hone his craft by visiting other cities.

The 65-year-old has dedicated hundreds of hours to his project and the book features more than 350 pictures – offering a unique snapshot of Britain.

Whereas most people would feel nervous taking pictures of complete strangers, he said his job as a paramedic helps him with his hobby because he is used to reassuring people and striking up a bond.

After capturing the candid moments, he will often start a conversation with his subjects to discover more about their stories.

Mr Porsz said he could fill another whole book with the amount of near misses he has taken - where someone has walked in front of the camera at the wrong time or he missed the moment - but the wealth of material available to him often makes up for it.

He said: “I love to set up in one location so when I came to Oxford I was outside the Bodleian for the day.

“It’s great to capture the reactions you get. Sometimes people will break into a spontaneous dance or song. They do the most amazing things.

“I cannot resist snapping the drunken hens and their inevitable ‘here I am, tadar’ pose.

“Every town too, has its fire and brimstone brigade so I just wait patiently for a ‘sinner’ to come along to make a lucky juxtaposition.”

Streets of Britain follows the publication of Mr Porsz’s previous book, Reunions, which united people who he had photographed 40 years earlier.

Last year he published Streets of Europe chronicling his exploits on the continent.

Buy the book at www.chrisporsz.com or message him on Facebook or Twitter.