BOURNEMOUTH's longest-standing newsagent has died at the age of 92.

Trevor Phillips opened the doors of Phillips News in 1959, running it for 65 years. 

A well-known figure in Boscombe, his son, Adam Phillips, has paid tribute to his father who he described as 'humorous' and was known to crack a joke with customers.

He said: "He was a bit like all fathers, they're always on top of you but he was a fantastic bloke, well known in the area and we've had so many customers coming in over the last couple of days to pay tribute.

"He was the oldest and the last of the longest-standing newsagents in Bournemouth and he was still solidly working up until Covid and was still out delivering papers in the morning until then when he was in his late-eighties."

Trevor took over Phillips News in Christchurch Road after moving from Birmingham just after bonfire night in 1959 after he saw an advert for the agents in the Birmingham Mail.

A family business, Adam later came into the business in his 20s to help his dad run the shop which allowed his father to take more of a step back in recent years but didn't stop him from being involved.

Adam said: "After Covid he was allowed to come back down here so he took a slight backseat but he always had plenty to do with the business still. He fell and broke his hip at the end of January and that was sort of the bit that really did it.

"There are customers that come in now that we delivered papers to for 60 odd years. We've got one man that comes in who was dad's first paper boy and he's in here regularly."

Since he passed, Adam said he has discovered things he never knew about his dad from people getting in touch.

A date for the funeral is yet to be set and Adam has thanked the public for their kind words over the past few days.