A HEARTBROKEN wife hit back at the husband who left her on the eve of Valentine's Day by hanging 91pairs of women's knickers outside their home.

Valerie Thome, 61, said she took the action -- which amazed motorists and pedestrians on the busy main road early today -- after her husband didn't come home last night.

She got some stepladders and clambered to the top of an elderberry tree in the front garden to attach the collection of thongs and novelty knickers.

She then wrote a note in capitals, saying: "Goodbye Wolfram."

But the embarrassed husband, 48, who is now living in another part of Nelson with his girlfriend, said: "She's just doing it to get back at me but it's not going to work. They are not my knickers, what would I want with women's underwear?"

The couple have been married for 16 years and are well known after they cycled across Europe in 1995.

Wolfram, who is registered blind, was born in Germany.

They have had a sexless marriage for the past seven years and even appeared on a Channel 4 documentary last year -- Married Love, in which they spoke openly about their life without sex.

Valerie, of Regent Street, Nelson, said: "We became more like friends than lovers but I always thought we were happy with that.

"I am devastated especially with it being Valentine's Day. I found a card and thought it was for me so I opened it and discovered it was from another woman.

"I confronted Wolfram about it and he said he was glad to have it all out in the open before he left.

"I found the knickers so to get back at him I decided to hang them out at 3am this morning to show him up.

"All the neighbours and cars passing by are stopping to have a look."

Wolfram admitted he received the card from his girlfriend and added: "We did go on the TV show last year but at the end of the day you can only go so long without having sex."