A postman paid tribute to his “wonderful” colleagues as he delivered his final round after nearly 45 years working in the Royal Mail.

Bob Small added he will miss the “banter and the comradeship”, as he celebrated reaching his retirement today at the Post Office in Darkes Lane, Potters Bar.

The 60-year-old, who lives in Potters Bar with his wife Jeanette, started working for the service in 1971 as a telegram boy in St Albans, and became a postman when he turned 18 a year later.

He transferred to Hatfield, where he met Jeanette, before swapping to Potters Bar in 1975, where he has worked since.

Mr Small said: “I went around shaking everyone’s hands at their homes this morning. I won’t miss the bad weather though.

“I met some wonderful people, we had parties that were tremendous. When I started, there were people who had been in the war. We used to have ex-sailors singing sea shanties and all sorts at the parties. We had a fantastic time. It has been tremendous working in Potters Bar all this time.”

“I will miss the banter, the fun and the comradeship. In Potters Bar they are lovely people, they really are. I could not have worked with a better group of people. I will keep in touch with them.”

Mr Small said highlights from his time as a postman included meeting footballers like Bobby Charlton and Pat Jennings, as well as Formula One driver Graham Hill, who he met a couple of weeks before his death in 1975.

Another highlight was the time he met actress Shirley MacLaine at a hotel in St Albans, shortly after he started as a telegram boy.

Reflecting on how the job had changed, he said: “When I first started we used to go out and do two deliveries. We used to start at 5am. The deliveries are bigger now."

Mr Small has two daughters, Beverley, 39, a hairdresser, and Claire, 35, a dental nurse who lives in Australia.

A passionate football fan, he is also a vice president of Potters Bar Town FC, a club he has been involved with for nearly 30 years, which he plans to continue in his retirement.

He said: “It’s fantastic to be involved, I love my football.”

Paying tribute, his colleague Ian Smith, 31, said: “He is a bubbly character. He is always in a good mood, and always early. We are sad to see him go.”

Workers at the Potters Branch also said goodbye today to Steve Maskell, 59, who has retired after 24 years working at the branch.

Mr Maskell, who lives in Frowyke Crescent, South Mimms, with his wife Sarah, said he plans to spend his retirement gardening and looking after his two grandchildren, Charlie and Jack, aged three-years-old and four-months-old.

He added: “I will miss the banter. It hasn’t really sunk in yet. It feels like tomorrow will just be a day off.”