Peter Rose's love affair with Luton buses started when he was a lad of four. The father of two - who now lives in Letchworth - has just published a history of Luton Corporation Transport.

Peter, 65, said: "They used to fascinate me. There was a bus route at the back of our garden in Stapleford Road, Stopsley, and one of my first memories is standing at the wire fence and watching them go by."

His enthusiasm waned when he left Stopsley Primary. But it re-emerged when he retired from Barclays Bank in 1995 after a distinguished career in corporate management.

He realised no-one had written anything about the now defunct Luton Corporation Transport and felt it was something that needed to be done: "A whole piece of social history had not been documented."

The paperback book - which contains many old photographs and illustrations in addition to a potted history of the Corporation and statistical indices - has been extremely well received. Peter is now considering writing a companion coffee table book.

Luton Corporation Transport by Peter Rose is published by The History Press and costs £16.99.