By day he is a mild-mannered gardener – but when night falls, Roger Hayhurst turns into crime-fighting superhero Knight Warrior.

The 19-year-old has spent the last 10 months walking the streets of Salford as his alter-ego, breaking up fights and tackling anti-social behaviour.

Roger – who dresses in a custom-made £200 blue-and-black lycra costume which his mum helped him buy from a firm in America – says his only special power is a supernatural desire to make the world a better place.

See the Knight Warrior (and his mum Jennifer) in the video below ...

He said: “When people see me coming up it does tend to stun them into silence. I just carry on trying to get them to calm down, and eventually most of them do.

“If I think things are getting a bit hairy, I just back off and phone the police. They know what I am doing and have been very kind to me.

“Some of my friends think I am a bit odd, but all I want to do is try and get people to like each other. I just want to do good in the world, that's all.”

Roger – a former Moorside High pupil from Swinton – has even created a website for his alter-ego, at www.knightwarrior.co.uk.

Since our video was posted on Thursday morning, thousands have watched Roger's exploits on YouTube and hundreds have 'liked' his Facebook page with fans posting comments from nations across the globe.

Roger says his main aim is to sort out rows between people coming out of pubs or simply fighting on the streets.

Roger, who lives with mum Jennifer, 61, and granddad Alfred, 91, also hands out clothing and food parcels to the homeless in Manchester city centre. Jennifer said she was always ‘slightly worried’ when her son went out – usually between 9pm-2am, at least three times a week.

But she added: “His absolute genuineness is his best defence. He is one of the kindest young men I know.”