One of London Fire Brigade's first dog handlers is retiring - and will take furry colleagues Roscoe and Murphy with him.

Mick Boyle, 55, joined the service as a firefighter 30 years ago, on Tooting Green Watch. He went on to become a leading firefighter at Lambeth, and then a sub officer at Mitcham, Wimbledon and Brixton.

He became Station Officer at Battersea before joining the Fire Investigation Team in 1997. In 2005, the Brigade started using dogs to help investigate the causes of fires, and Mick started work with Roscoe.

In 2013, cocker spaniel Murphy became fully operational after just five weeks of training. The pair have attended more than 2,000 incidents, assisting the Fire Investigation team by sniffing out ignitable materials from a current list of 11 ‘target’ substances.

Last year, 13-year-old Roscoe was named Animal of the Year by the International Fund for Animal Welfare which Mick said is well-deserved as he "has done incredibly good work for the people of London".

Five-year-old Murphy will join Mick and Roscoe in an early retirement.

Mick said: “The dogs are all about keeping the people of London safe and they have been an exceptional success.

“Every time I work with them and they find something it gives me immense satisfaction and I’m always amazed.

“I never ever get tired of it when they do find something. I’ve always had a pride in my two dogs.”

Mick says he plans to relax and take life as it comes and while he will be sad to go, he’s looking forward to it.

He added: “I have been fortunate that I have been able to do a job I have wanted to do and have also been incredibly happy. The fire brigade has never once disappointed.

“I will miss it but it’s the right time to go - I have got some incredibly good memories and I’m going at a time when the LFB is right up there and incredibly well thought of.”