A much-loved fishmonger who sold fresh fish from his van for 30 years hung up his apron for the final time last week.

People in Epsom, Ewell, Stoneleigh, Cheam and Banstead have been buying fish from 63-year-old Terry Evans since 1984.

The former commercial fisherman, who has become something of an institution in this area, bought fresh-caught fish - from cod, plaice and haddock to lemon and Dover sole - every day from fishing boats as they came in to Hastings at 3am, before driving up to Surrey in all weathers to sell them.

Mr Evans did this for so long that he saw many of his customers’ children grow up and become customers themselves - in one case, three generations of the same family.

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Robin Kerwick, 54, has bought fish from Mr Evans every month since setting up a business in Stoneleigh 15 years ago, and said he is sad to see him go.

He said: "He’s a part of the landscape here, you get used to seeing him. He’s a very friendly guy - he’ll talk to anybody, have a chat about anything. He’ll definitely be missed."

"It’s a shame to see him go, but if it’s going to make life easier for him then I wish him the very best of luck."

Mr Evans said that as he gets older he finds the constant driving more difficult, and the winters feel harder as well. He wants to move on to something new and will be joining his son in the Hastings building trade which is much closer to home.

He said life will feel strange without driving up to Surrey each day - which he began doing before the M25 was open - and he knows he will miss his customers.

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Robin Kerwick and Terry Evans

He said: "I’m a naturally social person, I get to know people, and they do become friends." More than his charm, though, Mr Evans thinks the main secret to his success was quality and freshness - as the fish he sold had only been out of the water for just few hours.

He said: "You couldn’t get no fresher if you came down and caught it yourself!"