He may be a stunt man who specialises in sword fights and mock terrorist sieges, but Wayne de Strete has a softer side which few but close friends and family are aware.

When he isn't pretending to be James Bond or taking part in medieval duels, Wayne can be found in the garden at the back of his home in Trafalgar Road, Portslade, busy with work of a very different nature.

For behind this very ordinary-looking terrace of shops and houses hides a secret garden, which Wayne has transformed into a urban sanctuary for hundreds of frogs, toads, and newts.

The truth is that Wayne, a trained fighter who abseils through windows for a living, simply loves these slippery creatures.

Wayne, 36, runs his company, Stunt Action Specialists, above theatrical costumiers Harvey's of Hove, which he also owns.

Five years ago Wayne, a father-of-two, decided to do something about the derelict garden behind the shop and built a pond.

He said: "As a child we had three ponds in my parents' house in Hove. I grew up with a garden full of frogs, toads' nests, and slow worms.

"When we moved here, the garden was full of rubble and bricks. One day I decided to clear it all out and try to recreate the garden I knew as a child."

The first two frogs Wayne moved into the garden were nicknamed Ron and Reggie. They both remain and can even be persuaded to be hand-fed from time to time.

Now the garden boasts two ponds packed with frogs, a row of tanks containing tadpoles, and piles of rocks which are a firm favourite with the toads.

Frog statues sit in every corner and a special cat alarm scares off unwanted predators by emitting a high-pitched frequency, which even the hungriest moggy detests.

Wayne has even expanded next door, having recently persuaded a neighbour to let him build a third pond in the unused garden. At the height of the breeding season, Wayne's sanctuary provides a home for up to 110 frogs, dozens of toads and newts, and literally thousands of tadpoles.

He said: "Frogs and toads do tend to wander. Everyone I speak to in this neighbourhood has frogs and toads in their garden, but most people don't mind. Saying that, I do sometimes get a knock on the door from a neighbour who wants to return a stray."

Each year he returns the young frogs and toads to several wild ponds and dew ponds he manages on the South Downs as a member of conservation group, the Sussex Amphibian and Reptile Group.

Wayne said: "We are losing ponds across the South East due to all all the housing and development that is going on. This is why it's very important to maintain the frog and toad population, particularly in areas like the Downs."

The garden is never short of new inhabitants with friends, family, and even customers, often bringing round supplies of spawn to keep the tanks and ponds full.

Wayne said: "Sometimes someone will come round to the shop with a costume to be returned in one hand and bucket full of frog spawn in the other."

He is perfectly aware many people will think it odd for a stunt man to become involved in frog conservation.

The team travels all over Britain and abroad taking part in themed evenings. Only last week, they staged a mock sword fight at Kensington Palace for Princess Michael of Kent's son Frederick's 21st birthday party.

Wayne said: "As a stunt man I have this hard-man reputation as a trained fighter. So the guys in the team think it's funny I have all these amphibians in my garden.

"They call me the 'Frogman', which is quite appropriate I suppose as I'm also a qualified diver. Most people know me in one of three areas, either as a costume hirer, a stunt man, or as a conservationist. So when they find out about one of my other interests they are always surprised.

"Being a stunt man my job can be very stressful at times so I find it quite relaxing coming home to my garden and the frogs. They really are therapeutic."