CHARLIE Watts has been a milkman in Knighton for over 30 years and is now retiring.

For all this time Charlie has got up at around 3am seven days a week with just one day off a year, Christmas Day.

He has not been on holiday and has only had time off when he has been ill.

In the early days before milk was widely available in plastic cartons Charlie was delivering milk, cream and eggs to around 700 customers a week including those in Rhos-y-Meirch, Llangunllo, Llanbister, Knucklas, Beguildy and Llanfair Waterdine as well as supplying local shops and schools.

He said "When the weather was good it was the best job in the world, I have seen some awful winters but wind and rain was the worst I would come home soaked through".

Over the years Charlie has been helped with his rounds by his wife Kath and children Sarah, Daniel, Liam and Sophie who also helped when he was ill. Some of the children even went out with him when they were babies and wouldn't sleep he said "they soon fell asleep on the rounds". He has also employed lots of youngsters over the years who helped out with the morning rounds before going to school.

Charlie's dad Wilf Watts used to work for the same dairy as Charlie, Bartonsham Dairies, Herefordshire. He used to milk the cows in the morning then go out delivering on a pony and trap, milk the cows in the afternoon and go out delivering again.

Charlie, Knighton's last milkman, currently has about 300 customers some who he never met, he just delivered the milk and they left the money out for him. Others he had seen as babies and now have children of their own. The last milk deliveries will be this weekend with Knighton Town getting their last milk on April 29, the customers in the Llangunllo area on April 30 and the Beguildy round customers on May 1.

Charlie said "I would like to thank all my loyal customers and my family for all their support over the years. I'm looking forward to some lie ins and getting round to some much needed work on the house, garage and garden".