THE last Darlington county borough firefighter retires today after 31 years' service.

Jeff Ashton was the last to join the town's fire brigade as a junior officer in 1973, before the station was amalgamated with the rest of Durham County the following year.

Mr Ashton, 55, of Milton Street, Darlington, served an apprenticeship at the Cleveland Bridge factory as a teenager, before applying to become a fireman.

"I got through all the tests but at my medical was told I was too small to join. I applied a year later and this time I was the right size even though I had not changed," he said.

"Now I am a crew manager and in charge of a fire engine."

Over his three decades of service, Mr Ashton has seen big changes in the type of equipment firefighters use and the number and types of incidents they attend.

"We have always dealt with road accidents, but there are more and more these days," he said.

"I remember the days with hacksaws and these big tin openers, which we made ourselves. However, the equipment is all hydraulic now."

His crew has attended hundreds of emergencies over the years and he said there were some situations he really did not want to be in.

"Warehouses are the worst. You can't see your hands in front of your face and you are always worried about flash-overs," he said.

Mr Ashton's wife, Janice, used to work in the Darlington fire service control room.