A Rainham man who has served almost 19 years as a lollipop man retired last Friday.

Norman Ellis-Leagos, 75, of Blake Close, Rainham, has helped school pupils from Whybridge Infants, Whybridge Juniors and Brittons Secondary school cross the street on the corner of Nelson Road and Rainham Road, since 1993.

He said: “I enjoyed most of my time as a lollipop man. I loved the children and the parents were very nice.”

Before his duties as a lollipop man, Norman worked as a teleprinter operator at the Ford plant in Dagenham, but when the company got rid of a lot of staff, he decided to take an early retirement.

Norman hopes to sell his home and move to Wiltshire with his wife, adding that “the countryside is beautiful.”

Angie Fenn, from nearby company Constructions Sealant, presented Norman with a bouquet of flowers.

She said: “Norman was a really nice guy. He was good at what he did and everybody loved him.

“He is like an icon in Rainham and will be missed.”