Rutland dad and son, 10, sleep in garden igloo at -5C

Jesse, 10, Riley, eight, and Ellis, seven, built the igloo with their father Alex

A father-of-three has gone to extreme measures to alleviate lockdown boredom by building an igloo in his back garden and sleeping in it.

Alex Asbridge said he and his three sons made the igloo by pressing snow into a plastic box to create bricks.

The sergeant major said he agreed to his 10-year-old son Jesse's request to sleep in it with him as he knew he had enough kit to keep them warm.

He said temperatures were about -5C when they slept out on Tuesday night.

They placed the snow bricks on top of one another to build the igloo which was about 5.5ft (1.7m) high, 4.9ft (1.5m) wide and 8.2ft (2.5m) long

Mr Asbridge, who is with the Royal Anglian Regiment, said his boys had built "many" snowmen this winter, so his wife Rachael suggested making an igloo instead.

He said building it was a process of "trial and error".

"I had a small plastic box and packed snow into that. The kids were sitting and stamping on it to try and make it as solid as possible, and tipped it out.

"Then we carried the bricks over and it started to take shape. Two bricks slipped off but all-in-all it worked," he said.

The 36-year-old said his children loved being out in the snow and were "really proud of themselves for achieving something different".

Mr Asbridge said his and his eldest son Jesse's body heat warmed the igloo and they both slept well

Mr Asbridge, from Cottesmore, said he had "slept in worse" places than the homemade igloo and was keen to get his children outdoors.

"I like being outside and it keeps them away from sitting indoors," he said.

Mr Asbridge said he kept himself and his son warm by putting a ground sheet and two roll mats on the floor of the igloo.

They slept in cold weather sleeping bags, which were also inside a water proof covering called a bivi bag.

"We had decent sleeping bags and were sheltered from the wind. Jesse said he had a bit of a cold face and that was it," he added.

Mr Asbridge said Riley, eight, and Ellis, seven, then tried sleeping in the igloo with him on Wednesday night

The following night his other two children - Riley, eight, and Ellis, seven - wanted to sleep in the igloo but they did not last the night.

"Riley was too hot [in the sleeping bag] and Ellis wasn't feeling well," Mr Asbridge said.

He said most people have either said "are you crazy?" for sleeping in the igloo or "what an experience".

Mr Asbridge said making the igloo broke up "the monotony of being at home"