A town trader who has served Accrington for 32 years is looking forward to a well-earned retirement.

Vacuum cleaner repairer David Casson - known as ‘The Hoover Man’ - will shut up shop on July 29 at the age of 68.

David, of Lupin Close, Accrington, has been repairing hoovers for the borough’s families and businesses for decades, from his workshop on Whalley Road.

And he has joked that he ‘doesn’t want to see another hoover in his life!’

The former electrician has developed a wealth of knowledge about the innermost workings of every conceivable type of vacuum cleaner, but insists it is not a passion – as he struggled to explain when he appeared on a Channel Four documentary about quirky occupations, some years ago.

He said: “Every town years ago had a hoover man who did this and that. There were six programmes – one was about people who collected typewriters.

"I said I don’t collect hoovers, I mend them. This is a job to try and earn money. I don’t have these machines under my bed at home.”

David, who is married to Sheila and has children Emma and Christopher, is also a keen walker with Blackburn Ramblers.

Accrington vacuum cleaner repairer David Casson - known as The Hoover Man - who is retiring after 32 years.

He said: “Being stuck in the shop I had to have a hobby that was outside and get fresh air. I used to do the Three Peaks in Yorkshire once a year. I just had a week in Portugal to see how the millionaires live, but you cannot beat going to somewhere like Kettlewell with the views or Grassington, that’s really beautiful.”

David says he has found all sorts of odd items in vacuums he has repaired down the years – including cigarette lighters, coins, pens and pencils.

On one house call he recalls he ‘was taken to the cleaners’ when an old lady invited him into a darkened room to pay the £15 bill. He recalled: “She carefully placed the money – three five pound notes – in my hand, but she had folded them in such a way there was only two.”

Despite some low times with vandalism and overseeing many changes in the town, David says he has loved what he does.

He said: “There’s wonderful people out there and people I’ve been looking after for 20 years.

“You have got to have a love for the job.

“I do it all myself, I couldn’t get anyone to work in the conditions that I do.

“I love people watching. A lot of people don’t have any ‘people skills’ and a lot of places treat you like a numpty.”