A long-serving barber has retired after 48 years at the same York shop.

David Thompson, 63, of Huntington, has hung up his scissors after spending his entire working life at R Newton and Sons, in East Parade, Heworth.

He said a lot had changed during his time there. "When I first started in 1959 haircuts were about 1s 6d, which was about seven-and-a-half pence," he said.

"And the hairstyles we got asked for were Tony Curtises and DAs. When The Beatles came long hair was in fashion.

"There had been a gents hairdressers on every street corner, but unisex hair killed that off."

He said he had coped well with the changing styles because of the "good grounding" he got from shop owner Ron Newton. When Ron retired, his son Peter, 67, who worked alongside David, took over.

Peter said: "It's going to be very different without him in the shop.

"As well as being his employer, we're friends. He and his wife have been good friends virtually since day one."

Peter is in semi-retirement himself, and his son, Paul, and daughter, Dawn Robinson, now run the shop.

David will be missed by his clients.

"Some customers have been coming in since I first started," David said. "I have three generations - there are fathers who now come in with their sons, and even grandsons."

Speaking about his retirement, he said: "It takes some adjusting to after working all your life.

"It's a lot of time to fill. If the weather had been a bit better it would have helped."