An eccentric hypnotist who was once buried alive on live television for six hours, has decided against the same form of interment when he eventually passes away.

Instead, he has identified a secret Wirral plot for his cremated remains to be hidden in forever more.

Alan Bates - who is also an author - practices Hypnotherapy privately at Predictions Holistic in Liscard and at a clinic in Malta, where he hosts TV show Xarabank on TVM Malta.

Mr Bates explains: "In 2002 I was buried alive in a coffin six feet deep for six hours in Marsacala in the grounds of a friendship park to help raise funds for a disabled people’s charity.

"I am glad to say that the total amount raised was over one hundred thousand Maltese lire which was the currency at the time.

"We also raffled off donated Liverpool FC football shirts which helped raise a lot more money. There is a massive Maltese LFC fan club in Malta.

"How it must have felt for some poor souls in years gone by that woke up after they were buried makes me shiver so, due to the unpleasant experience of being buried deep underground I have made the decision that after my demise I want to be cremated so I have prepared my final resting place near “Thors rock” in Thurstaston."

Mr Bates' efforts to prepare his unusual internment plot were not completed without further drama after his 12-year-old daughter Keira fell off the rock and broke her leg in three places, having to be rescued by Mountain paramedics.

She has now recovered but needs another operation to remove pins and screws.

Wirral Globe: The brass plate that Alan Bates has already had partially made for his eventual passingThe brass plate that Alan Bates has already had partially made for his eventual passing

Mr Bates added: "I truly respect this beautiful location so once my children and I established my final resting place in a very discrete hidden place off the beaten track that will never ever be seen or found by ramblers, I bored a hole into the bedrock, embedded a sleeve to contain my ashes and placed a temporary cover on top.

"The final highly polished brass plate provides all the details of a normal regular internment plate but the date of death, left blank will be engraved and fitted in due course, but hopefully not for many years to come.

"I then screen shot the compass coordinates for the grave on my phone and it is now privately published in a family book that I wrote for my children named “Daddy’s Stories”.

"This way my future grandchildren and great, grandchildren will be able to locate my burial place to reflect on the anniversary of my birth / death should they so desire."