Family hairdressers who found love on the job and worked in Tolworth for over forty years, have retired.

Barrington John Bradley, known as Barry, and wife Sue, 59, packed up shop on April 5 after a long career at J Barrie hairdressers on the Broadway.

Mr Bradley, 64, said: “We have been there for 43 years and we thought that is enough really. We had never had a week off work or anything.”

He said that their clients were sad to see them go.

Carol Miller from Worcester Park said: “Sue and Barry took great delight in seeing the enjoyment of others.”

Mr and Mrs Bradley met while working as hairdressers in Cheam Village. They will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary this year.

They have no big plans for their retirement, and said they will enjoy having more free time.

Your Local Guardian: Barry and Sue Bradley are hanging up the scissors after more than 40 years

Mr Bradley said: “We like our home, we like our garden. We can just do what we want now but we can do it when we want. We just had two weeks off which have been absolutely lovely.”

“We will miss our clients most really. Because we have been there so long we not only know them but their daughters, their sons.

“We have cut their hair, their children’s hair, their grandchildren’s hair. You get to know people so much when you are in that sort of business. You know all their sorrows and all their pains.

“And also you have people’s happiness and you get to share in that. It is a very personal business. It is not like selling washing machines.

"Some of our clients are friends now. It is not as if we are not going to be in touch with all of them.”

He added: “The work that we did wasn’t high-tech work; it was more family-oriented. It was cosy. Some of our clients said to us it was like our front room. It was like a home. We knew everybody by their first names.”