The UK’s first house made entirely of waste is to be constructed in Brighton.

We’ve all heard of the traditional bricks and mortar, but from next month a designer is planning to build this unique structure from the likes of car number plates, street signs, video tapes and toothbrushes.

Architect Duncan Baker-Brown dreamt up the project after Channel 4’s Grand Designs presenter, Kevin McCloud, constructed a house made from replenishable organic materials in 2008.

He said: “The original plan was to recreate Kevin’s house but things have moved on so we’ve tweaked the designs a fair bit.

“From working on other jobs, I’ve become aware of the vast amount of waste generated from building projects.

“One statistic which is quite shocking is that for every five houses built one goes to landfill in waste.

“It’s easier for builders to over order on materials so there’s always waste.”

Mr Baker-Brown employed Cat Fletcher as his “chief scavenger” and they set about researching waste materials they could use.

The main structure is to be made of ply shuttering and timber with boxes of various waste products making up the wall cavity.

Mr Baker-Brown, who is also a senior lecturer at the University of Brighton, added: “We’ve been looking at this and we could use anything from toothbrushes and fluff from old sofas to video tapes or just rubble.”

The materials for the upstairs of the house are yet to be decided on but the designers are exploring using the likes of car registration plates and old road signs.

With the help of local schools, community groups and students from the University of Brighton and City College Brighton and Hove, they will attempt to complete the construction by May – in time for a Brighton Festival opening.

Mr Baker-Brown added: “It may all seem like a bit of fun but there is no reason why this type of construction can’t be used.

“We are aiming to make the house look good and to be able to function. We don’t just want it to look like a pile of rubbish.”

To register your interest visit arts.brighton.ac.uk/business-and-community/the-house-that-kevin-built.