A BELOVED postie has hung up his mailbag after more than three decades in the job.

Grandfather Mike Stoker, from Sedbergh, retired after making his final rounds on Christmas Eve following 32 years as a del-ivery man in Cumbria.

“I couldn’t have wished for a better job,” he said.

“Out in the fresh air, meeting lovely people and, working with some great colleagues.

“I will miss them all.”

It is estimated that Mr Stoker, 65, has delivered around five million letters, cards and parcels since he began the job in 1981.

And he says he was ‘literally thrown in at the deep end’ after finding himself up to his waist in snow in his first week.

“It was heavy snow and I was delivering to a farm,” he said.“I decided to go across the field to the next farm, but I didn’t realise how deep the snow was.

“I lost my keys and didn’t get them back for a week when the snow melted!”

He also faced severe weather conditions in the 1980s, when heavy floods in Dent left him str- anded for several hours in a pub.

The father of two daughters, who is married to Christine and has a grandson, Archie, is now looking forward to a well-earned break.

The ‘popular’ member of the nine-strong team at Sedbergh, which covers the LA10 postcode area, will be missed by colleag-ues and customers alike.

“We are really sorry to lose Mike from the office,” said Royal Mail manager Peter Brown.

“He has been a true asset to Royal Mail, and his colleagues and customers alike all wish him well in his retirement.”