This 50-year-old dad from Edinburgh is a carer by week and Batman at the weekend.

Chris Cowan enjoys thrilling the locals in the capital by putting on the superhero's famous black costume and driving around the capital in his customised Batmobile.

Chris modified a car he bought on eBay, using his airbrushing skills, with wings, a radar and a glow light that projects the Batman symbol on the bonnet.

He told STV News: "About a year ago I thought it would be really cool to get a car, airbrush it so it's split, one half of it an ordinary car and the other half of it with cogs, pistons, pulleys, that kind of thing.

"The best place for shopping these days is eBay, so I was on eBay and this little beauty popped up and I thought 'well that's got to be the Batmobile'.

"I went down south with my son, bought the car, drove it up and for the past six months that's what I've been driving."

Being the capital's answer to Bruce Wayne, Chris likes take his alter-ego to the next level and often entertains for children's parties.

He plays games, poses for pictures and gives youngsters a five-minute drive around in the customised vehicle.

He said: "When I started getting into it I was just merely an airbrusher but then I thought 'I could really do something with this', and it's kind of spawned from there on, so now I do entertainment for kids' parties but any kid who sees it, it makes their day so if I can make their day then the more the better."

It was while attending a fundraiser for cancer survivor Kira Noble last year when Chris realised just how big an impact he could have on children's lives as Batman.

He said: "I was outside the 'Kira the Machine' campaign and a mum and her son walked up to me and asked if there was any chance he could get a photo."

"When I offered him a chance to sit in the Batmobile it was as if Christmas had arrived early, it was fantastic."