A CLOSE friend of Russell Nixon, whose death in Chippenham sparked a murder inquiry, is trying to find a new home for an unusual legacy: tens of thousands of marbles.

Paul Treacy inherited around 50,000 marbles from Mr Nixon's home in Derby Close following his death in the town in the early hours of May 10. Now the 40-year-old is on a quest to find them a new home.

"There are thousands of them in bins, tubes and jars. I always said to him why don't you try and get rid of some, but he was a hoarder," Mr Treacy said. "He started to collect them due to his troubles growing up and he just couldn't part with them.

"He always said he would like to be able to give them to a children's charity or a hospice but unfortunately they don't have the means of coming to pick them up. We are in the process of bagging them up and we are looking to sell them somehow."

Matthew Chapman, 22, of Wood Lane, has been charged with Mr Nixon's murder and has been remanded in custody to appear at Bristol Crown Court on October 6.