AFTER nearly four decades as Accrington's tailor to the stars, Giuseppe Alessi's career is all sewn up.

The 70-year-old is set to retire at the end of the month, having spent the last 37 years as the area's only made-to-measure tailor.

Giuseppe, who now plans to sell his shop in Derby Street, Accrington, came to the town in 1961 from his native Sicily, where he had his own bespoke tailoring business.

He set up shop here six years later and since then has notched up a host of celebrity clients, including snooker player Dennis Taylor and footballer David Dunn.

He said: "I started to learn how to sew when I was 11 and I still love making suits. I make them in the same way that I did 50 years ago - it is all done by hand and each suit is made individually, rather than to a pattern."

"This has been my life, so it will be hard to get used to not being in the shop every day. But I had to stop eventually and I just decided that now was the right time."

Giuseppe, who has two sons, Marco and Joe, an actor currently starring in the musical The Play What I Wrote, and a daughter, Adriana, added that he didn't have any plans for his retirement but was looking forward to spending more time at home with his wife, Angela.

He said: "I am really going to miss the shop and chatting to all my customers. I want to thank the people of Accrington for their support over the last 40 years."