A New Malden barber who has been cutting hair for half a century hung up his clippers and shut his shop door for the last time at the weekend.

George Roberts began training in Surbiton when he was just 15 and has been running his tiny barber shop just off the high street in New Malden for 44 years.

Simply called George the Barber, the shop has never had a phone and Mr Roberts was not one to splash out money on fancy promotional material, preferring to rely on word of mouth instead.

Only a small green sign attached to the wall of the alleyway outside indicates the shop’s existence.

He said: “I got a telephone line put in, but never actually got around to getting one.

“Being a one-man band you can’t answer the phone and cut hair at the same time, so I never bothered.

“People wouldn’t be happy if I had to stop cutting their hair every two minutes to answer the phone.”

The 65-year-old insists he has never been bored working the same job for so many years.

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He said: “Every day is different. From paupers to millionaires, I’ve seen all sorts come through here.

“When I got people in really down on their luck it was nice to clean them up and I wouldn’t charge.

“My family must have been in New Malden for more than 100 years, so it was nice to give a little bit back to the community.”

For more than four decades, customers have been sitting on the second- hand chair Mr Roberts bought ,when he first opened. He said: “I got pretty much everything in here secondhand.

“The chair the little nippers sit on when they get their hair cut must be about 70 years old.”

Steve Shorey has been getting his hair cut at the shop since 1987.

He said: “You just get your hair cut and have a chat. It’s an old school-style barbers.

“You can tell George all your problems and he knows all your flaws and successes.”

The space is to be turned into a computer repair shop, but Mr Roberts has said he is pleased that it will be another “one-man band”.

He said: “You wouldn’t be able to fit many more people in here anyway, but it is good it won’t be another chain like a Wetherspoons or a Starbucks.”

Mr Roberts hopes to do some travelling with his wife during his retirement.

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