AFTER almost 20 years of starting work at 5am, retiring newsagent Dennis Lomas has decided to swap the early mornings for a round on the golf course.

Mr Lomas (66), of Elland Close, Unsworth, was joined by friends and fellow newsagents on his final Saturday at his shop Lomas Newsagents, in Parr Lane, for a celebratory glass of champagne to mark his retirement.

The former hotelier, who worked as a newsagent for 19 years and has two children and two grandchildren, admits he will not be missing the early mornings but will miss the people he regularly served:

"I served up to 600 people every day. They were more than just customers, they became friends and I got to know everyone."

He added: "I am just going to play more golf, look after my wife, enjoy life and relax."