Firefighter Mick Manning will hang up his helmet one last time when he retires after more than 28 years at Twickenham fire station next month.

The 55-year-old will complete his last shift on May 22 before a farewell party at the Cabbage Patch the following week.

But while he admitted it would be a strange feeling to walk away from the station, he was looking forward to spending more time with his family and travelling.

He said: "It is strange, I still haven't got my head around it yet.

"There will be a bit more relaxing and down time for me and the family and I'm going home to South Africa with my wife in October to visit family."

Originally from Johannesburg, Mr Manning said his wife Maria already had a list of odd-jobs for him to do once he slides down the pole for the last time.

Now living in Yateley, Hampshire, he said he had seen plenty of changes while reflecting on his time in the London Fire Brigade.

He said: "I have seen lots of people coming and going, I remember the London Plan when we lost one of machines and got it back a few years ago.

"The down side is seeing and finding the people who lose their lives to fire but there is always someone there to pick you up and make you feel better.

"But you always feel 'if I was there that little bit earlier, who knows?'".

Mr Manning added the pain of seeing people lose their lives is balanced by the achievement of reuniting families and saving lives.

He said: "I remember a job on Feltham's ground at a block of flats, there were two of us in the back of the machine and we looked at each other thinking we were in trouble here.

"You could see the people looking down on us so we went up and asked a family if anyone is missing, they said their daughter was.

"They said she was in her bedroom, I got there and she wasn't there, I was calling her name but there was nothing.

"I went to the bathroom, went in and found a body in the bath, I dragged her out and it was a strange feeling seeing her reunited with her family, seeing them hugging her."