A Darlington carpet salesman will retire after more than 30 years of service at Darlington retailer, Burts Carpets.

Malcolm Coatsworth, 69, will retire at the end of July, bringing an end to his work selling carpets to Darlington residents since 1989.

"It was a really hard decision to retire and I will really miss the daily contact with everyone at Burts as well as the customers but I will still be calling in from time to time for a bacon sandwich on a Friday morning," Mr Coatsworth said.

"I love visiting Scotland and am looking forward to spending more time there." 

(Image: Burts)

The company undertook several moves during Mr Coatsworth's time as an employee - Gladstone Street to Valley Street, then Russell Street to King Street and finally a relocation to Eastmount Road.

He also had to deal with evolving customer tastes in carpet design, selling both traditional Axminster styles and modern plain coloured stain resistant carpets.

Known equally for his sales skills as his humour, his rapport with customers was such that "Have you not retired yet?", became a running gag at the store.

Mr Coatsworth's retirement follows his wife's, Laura, who stepped back from her NHS role earlier this year.

Claire Kerr, granddaughter of the founder of Burts said: "We will miss Malcolm for so many reasons but know that he will make the most of his retirement and will enjoy spending more time with his wife Laura and travelling all over the UK.

"He has been an absolute pleasure to work alongside over the last three decades and we will continue his friendly and approachable style for generations to come."