Britain's oldest supermarket worker dies aged 94 - months after retiring

Britain’s oldest supermarket worker has passed away at the age of 94, months after celebrating his retirement.

Reg Buttress was a popular figure at the Sainsbury’s store in Cwmbran, South Wales, and had known many of his customers since they were children.

He started work in Sainsbury’s in 1981, at the age of 59. He retired on 22 September this year, after working at the store for nearly four decades.

Mr Buttress had tried to retire once before when he turned 65 but returned to work six weeks later.

A spokeswoman for Sainsbury's said: “Reg was a much loved colleague and an inspiration to all of us. Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this sad time. He will be missed.”

Mr Buttress started work at the age of 13 at the Hafodyrynys colliery, in Caerphilly county, before becoming unemployed and taking a job in a factory job in Birmingham.

He told the BBC he used to cycle the two-day, 200-mile round trip to go back and visit his home town of Pontypool, during which he used to stop and sleep in a hedge.

After returning to South Wales, Mr Buttress worked as a steam engine driver and then in a Nylon factory before joining Sainsbury's.