A Bolton man has written a novel about homelessness – which dwells on his own experience on the streets.

Bryan Blears went to university from a council estate background and found it an unusual experience.

But following a mental breakdown he found himself on the streets.

He then travelled round Europe, depending on favours from strangers to get from place to place.

Mr Blears, now 32 and living in Horwich, came back to the UK and was able to stay in the spare room of friends who were studying in Leeds at the time.

It took several years to pay off debts and get himself back on track, and he later found work for Turning Point which works in mental health services and with people with addictions.

And now he has written his debut novel, These Walls Were Never Really There, which draws heavily on his experience.

Mr Blears said about being homeless: “It is really tough, that is what I have been trying to get across in the novel.

“That first night on the street, how long and cold it is, it is really really tough.

“I consider myself quite fortunate that I had my wits about me, I wasn’t addicted to any substance, I have turned my life around but for different people who have different things going on in their lives it is really tough.

“It took me two years to be in the black and pay off my debts.

“It probably took me four to five years to feel stable.”

He said how the book came about.

He said: “It took me probably just over a year to write the first draft.

“I had no experience of doing this sort of thing.

“It was published in April, it took around four to five months to turn it around.”

He said getting the deal was “fantastic” as he had approached “hundreds of publishers.”

He said: “People want something uplifting, but for me writing something uplifting wasn’t an option.

“I wanted my book to be quite brutal because that is the reality.”

And Mr Blears is not done yet as he is already 30,000 words into his next novel.