Imagine you are surrounded by iconic Italian scooters, transformed into highly desirable works of art. Where are you?

Rome? London? New York? Or how about next door to the Co-op in the Forest village of Bream?

As strange as it may seem, Bream is now home to Vintage Metals which takes Vespa and Lambretta scooters and customises them with works of art and intricate engraving.

Then there are other pieces such as coffee tables and rocking tchairs hat take scooter parts and give them a whole new purpose in what the team calls functional art..

There is also a range of clothing designed by former High Street fashion designer Turner.

The three friends behind Vintage Metals, James Turner, Surj Pal Singh and Nick Collier-Webb share a passion for scooters.

The project has been more than a decade in the making and began with a chance meeting at a music event in Italy which brought Surj and James together.

They are looking to a world-wide market of scooter enthusiasts, art collectors and corporate clients.

James said: “It could be anywhere in the UK because no matter where we are, we are looking for a much bigger market but we love the Forest and this came up and its a brilliant spot.

“We’ve identified three key markets – those who love scooters generally and the others are corporates and those who like collecting art.

Nick said the scooters go through a thorough restoration process including the engines.

Much of the intricate engraving is done in India by people working directly for Vintage Metals.

Surjan said: “A lot of the engraving is done in India. They are our own teams, we don’t outsource and we look after those employees.

“I am keen that everyone gets fair pay.”

To find out more visit www.vintagemetals.co.uk