I've got 350 combine harvesters and I'll give you the key: Farmer amasses collection of machines so vast it's visible from space

• John Manners first started collecting combines in 1974, and now has enough machines to cover an acre of land
• Farmer makes so much from selling on combine parts it is now his biggest source of income
• His enormous collection is so big it is clearly visible on Google Earth

Landowner John Manners has seen more combine harvesters than any farmer in the country - after hoarding 350 of the machines for parts.
Mr Manners, has amassed the staggering collection of agricultural vehicles so he can break them down and sell on the parts, and his huge haul is now so large it is visible on Google Earth's satellite cameras.
The enterprising farmer, 69, runs his business from Battle Bridge Farm near Alnwick, Northumberland, having started it when he was hunting for wheels for his digger.

They're all mine: Mr Manners stands among some of the 350 combines he has hoarded as part of this parts business

Landmark: Mr Manners' collection of combines is so vast it is easily visible on Google Earth, as in this image

He started his sideline with just one vehicle, an ageing MF 500 combing, but his business has grown with the combines taking up acres of land.
Mr Manners, who has run the farm where he lives with wife Ann, 65, since 1968, said: 'It all started when I got a price for new tyres for a digger.
'I found I could buy an old combine for less and get the tyres off that. Then somebody wanted its engine so I sold that.
'A year later at the Highland Show, I was talking to someone from not far away who had two MF 500s and I bought them both.
'The next thing I knew I had about 50 of the things and it became more of a business than the farming - it’s the main business now.'

High turnover: Mr Manners said he has bought between 50 and 60 combine harvesters each year for the past two decades

Well-oiled machine: Mr Manners' combine parts business in Alnwick, Northumberland, is now bigger than his farming business

His business, Manners Combine Parts, has now grown into the biggest breaker of combines in the UK, supplying farmers and trade with used parts.
Most of the combines arrive in tact at the farm but are dismantled to order when parts are needed.
The business has even shipped parts as far away as Lithuania, Malaysia, Morocco, Cyprus, New Zealand and Thailand.
Mr Manner’s buys the combines and his sons Richard and Fraser are in charge of sales and distribution.

Lucrative: With some combines worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, Mr Manners' sideline has become his main source of income

Valuable: Mr Manners is currently enjoying his most profitable time of year, as farmers seek combine parts for the harvesting season

John travels the country buying harvesters, paying anything from a few hundred pounds to a few thousand pounds and sells on second hand and reconditioned parts, which include grain pans, wheels, unloading augers, engines, sieves and shaker shoes.
With a brand new combine harvester costing hundreds of thousands of pounds farmers are looking to save money by buying parts.
John added: 'It’s harvest season so it’s the busiest time of the year for me.
'We’ve bought about fifty to sixty combines a year for the last twenty years. I bought less when this first started, but the business has grown a lot over the years.'