Brian Hutchings, 64, from Emscote, Warwick, has worked from the depot in Quarry Street since he left the former Blackdown High School at the age of 15 in 1959 when a pint of milk cost today's equivalent of about 4p.

His first round was in Whitnash and at the time the depot, now run by Dairy Crest was owned by the Grinnells family.

Mr Hutchings is happy to be retiring but says it will be difficult to adapt to normal sleep patterns and having more spare time.

He said: "I'm a bit sad, it's nice to know I'm retiring but at first it'll be like hitting a brick wall.

"I like the early mornings and early finishes - it's not an easy job but it keep you fit.

"But I won't miss the bad weather, especially the cold mornings which are coming up."

Mr Hutchings learned to drive a milk float before he got his full licence and had to display L plates when he started making deliveries.

His current round is in Radford Semele where he once took 17 hours to complete his deliveries when the village was flooded in 1998.

He wakes at 2.45am and starts his rounds at 4am, but not before he shares a cup of tea with his wife Shirley.

Mr Hutchings said: "My colleagues tell me their wives would throw it back at them if they were woken at that time but she always gets up at the same time as me."

Demand for home deliveries is dropping and rounds now take four and a half hours compared to six hours in the 1960s.

But many older residents still like milk delivered to their doorstep.
Mr Hutchings said: "For some people we might be the only person they see all day.

"I once came across an elderly lady in her porch who'd had a fall and called an ambulance.

"She could have been there a long time if it wasn't for me."

Much has changed in 50 years for milkmen.

Mr Hutchings still drives an electric float but a handheld computer has replaced his notebook for keeping track of orders and payments.

Notes are still left in empty bottles but orders can also be made and paid for online up to 9pm the night before rounds start.

Customers can now pick from 250 different items rather than just milk and cream.

The biggest difference for Mr Hutchings is his sense of vulnerability when on weekend rounds.

He said: "It is getting a bit more dangerous with drunk people coming out of nightclubs on Fridays and Saturdays at 3am.

"I don't feel as safe as I used to be."

When he retires, Mr Hutchings will devote his time to walking and following Liverpool FC.

He has no regrets about working in the same job since his teens.

He said: "I will miss the customers who have supported me over the years, some of them are now friends.

"As the years went by I just kept going, I was always happy and the money was good."