OYEZ! The bells rang out for Poole man David Squire when he attended an event to celebrate him officially becoming the longest-serving town crier in the world.

The Harbour Lounge at the Quay end of Poole High Street hosted a surprise party attended by criers from Swanage and Oxford in full regalia, as well as representatives of the Society of Poole Men, the Jolly Pirates, Poole Tourism and local businesses.

Mr Squire had thought he was going for a quiet lunch with landlords Bruce and Betty Fox.

Instead he was greeted by many of the friends and colleagues he has made while representing Poole over the last 55 years.

“The world and his wife turned up. It was a complete surprise to me.

“The atmosphere was wonderful,” he said.

“It was just so nice that everyone came to support me. I’m proud of the town. There’s never been a town crier that’s been doing it this long.”

Mr Squire was a 15-year-old choirboy when he first “cried” at Poole’s ancient Beating of the Bounds ceremony.

Over the last 55 years he has led and taken part in tens of thousands of events, not only for Poole but also for neighbouring Bournemouth and Ringwood.

As one of only 150 town criers in the UK, he has won dozens of trophies and represented both Poole and his country in international competitions.

His role is unpaid and he supplies his own splendid uniform.

But despite the expense, Mr Squire, who lives in Parkstone, has no plans to hang it up and wants to continue until he has served 60 years as town crier of his beloved home town.

Mr and Mrs Fox, who took over the pub (formerly the Spotted Cow) in December, laid on champagne and a buffet and musician Pete Christie played for free. Explained Mr Fox: “David was most helpful when we opened – he cut the ribbon with a cutlass. We see this as a historic event. ”