A dedicated Luton firefighter will bid farewell to his colleagues on Monday, May 5, when he retires after 30 years of loyal service.

Martin Sexton, 53, who works at Stopsley fire station, has helped raise thousands of pounds for charity during his career, as well as helping fight some of the biggest fires in the town's history.

He says he has no regrets about his career choice, despite the dangers involved. He was one of the first on the scene when a huge blaze broke out at the Top Rank bingo hall fire in Mill Street, Luton, in 1982, and suffered serious injuries when the building collapsed.

Recalling the fire, he said: "I don't remember very much as it all happened so quickly, but I was sucked into the building as it came down, knocked unconscious and then the next thing I know was my colleagues were pulling me out, leaving my boots trapped under the rubble."

Once recovered, the married father-of-two was straight back into the thick of things, and has taken part in fundraising activities including pulling a Hercules aeroplane along the tarmac at Luton Airport, and rowing the equivalent distance of France and back at the Arndale Centre.